You don't need a formal academic education to understand sciencer. In fact, an academic education gives you a rounded overview of a broad subject but not in depth. It is through projects and theses that you are forced to go into some detail from self research.
If you are only interested in a narrow field, you don't need a formal education and you could very well do your own self research and study. A very good free source of information, very close to a formal university education, is iTunes if use Apple devices. Several world renowned universities have modules on iTunes and they are free of charge.
For really deeper treatment on subjects, you need to go into scientific journals if you really need the maths or some popular magazines like Discover, New Scientist, American Scientist etc which give layman-targeted overviews of the latest discoveries and ideas. I normally go for the latter whenever I spot an interesting topic. Now you also have the Internet but www does not break things down chronologically and you must know what to look for.
You are lucky to have Australian skies to gaze at stars without the city's light pollution. Women normally do not like bulky things lying in the house which they do not understand. Newtonian reflectors are the most economical choice for a telescope without sacrificing quality except the size of the field of view. But they are bulky even for a small diameter telescope. Since your wife objects, suggest you go for one of those catadioptric telescopes which are small and compact.
I am, particularly, in love with the Matsutov-Cassegraine designs and many are available from Celestron and Meade. Orion carries a good range of both mades including some OEM under their own name and they also do online. You probably need at least a 6" diameter to start with but a 8" should be better to allow you to see more stars and galaxies. You need a range of eye-pieces to go with it. For stars, you do not need high magnification, just something that gives a good field of view. You need high magnification for viewing planets though but how high depends on your telescope diameter. Also get an auto-tracking drive and a sturdy stand. This will enhance your enjoyment.
I hope the above helps.