I learned to BBQ when I was a kid. Best advice I was given is keep it simple at first.
Get a good thermometer with probe, once for the chamber, one for the meat. Use temps as a guide, nothing replaces feel and touch. You can look at cook times on the web (in relation to temp) for a very rough estimate, but be ready to go over or under by a good margin depending on that specific piece of meat. Smoker temp anywhere between 225 to 275ish works, I don't stress about rock solid temps and still make killer BBQ.
Beef - Kosher salt, pepper, wood smoke, simple beef has a lot of flavor and stands up well with minimal seasoning. I find finish temp range is narrow for beef, some cuts a bit under cooked and it's tough, a bit overcooked and it's dry. Brisket, short ribs, chuck, tail, cheeks work well in a smoker.
Pork is just magic, extremely versatile and IMO more forgiving than beef brisket or beef short ribs. Ribs, shoulder, cheeks, belly, hams, hocks, tongue, everything goes with pork, except for loins and chops, I find them better on the grill.
Pork ribs are easy, try the 3-2-1 method at 225F (always ends up 2-2-1 when I do it). Remove the membrane on the underside, trim the narrow end a bit to where you have bones (put the trim on the smoker for a quick Dad snack). Apply rub, wait 5 minutes drink beer, put on grill, bone side down 2 hours (or 3) until you have a good bark and drink more beer. Wrap in foil with apple cider vinegar or apple juice or whatever liquid you like, stout or beer can work also, bit of brown sugar. back in the smoker for another 2ish hours (more beer), you will get to know your smoker in time and know how long it takes by the amount of beers you've had. Take out of foil and return to smoker to dry off and finish, another 30-60 mins or so. Don't go fall off the bone, as others have mentioned, they should bend and crack at the bones when ready but not break.
Shoulder, super easy, rub (with a bit more salt than the rib rub), smoker for a long time, when you hit the stall (around 165ish) wrap it and return to the smoker. If you want sliced pork, go to about 190-195, pulled you just go by feel (around 200F-205F). When the stick a probe in and feels like room temp butter it's ready. Let rest for 30 mins to an hour (make sure temps go down when you remove it or else it keeps cooking. you can cover it after it has gone down, towel, cooler, oven at 170F whatever suits you.
I like pork belly on the smoker, a bit fatty, but I eat around the bigger chinks of rendered fat.
basic rub for pork (measures are very approximate), 2 finger of paprika or other pepper powder (I like chipotle, guajillo, ancho instead of paprika), 1/4 to 1/2 finger of kosher salt (or just sprinkle the salt on the meat before the rub) use less salt for ribs, more for shoulder, 1 finger coarse cracked pepper, you can add a little bit of onion and garlic powder (size of a nickel or quarter, to taste), I use a pinch of Jamaican all spice. Taste and add whatever you think would work, you can add 1 finger of sugar (less or more to taste), but watch your meat, it will tend to darken more and burn of there is too much). Go a little bold on flavor of dry rub, taste will be attenuated a bit when, if you don't like it adjust add more paprika, pepper, salt, whatever is off.
Some sauce the pork heavy, some leave it dry or somewhere in the middle.
On the wood. I don't know what you have in Aus, I like cherry, apple, maple, hickory. go with less wood smoke and first and work your way up to find the sweet spot.
On the charcoal, lump has better flavor but can sometimes be less consistent, briquette is more consistent. Look for the minion method online (what I do) or snake method can work well with ribs.
Smoked turkey is amazing, brine overnight, pat dry, add salt/pepper (50/50), unsalted butter under the skin and smoke at 275F-300F until desired doneness.