Hi Craig, yes I've used the Wyeast liquid yeasts before but I tend to only use them for styles where I think the dried yeasts aren't up to the job (e.g. hefe weizen & lagers). I still use dried yeast a lot, mainly US-05, for my ales where the hops & malt are gonna be the features of the beer, US-05 at 18c for two weeks will give a nice clean ferment and let you control the rest.

I bought my red chilli bin mash tun from Bunnings late last year for $45 and it's great for what I want. I also bought the brass fitting and associated washers, & nuts from Mitre10 (approx $15). I already had the other bits (tap, manifold, etc). I boil my wort in two 19L pots purchased from the warehouse for $20 each and I chill in the bath with ice water. I will be blogging my entire process over the next few weeks.

Also, I made the manifold myself with parts purchased from mastertrade for approx $45. I used the instruction for building a manifold from wwwhowtobrew.com