Buying first car in Melbourne

This is mostly asking what needs to be done in Victoria, but since I am a first time car buyer anyway some advice would be appreciated. We are looking at getting a van, having a look at a few toyota hiaces. Don't want to spend a heap, but at the same time don't want to get lumped with a piece of crap that breaks down in a couple months. What are some good places to get independent mechanical inspections (like what VTNZ does in NZ for car buyers I believe)? What is a good insurance company to go with? We are in a band and will be transporting a lot of musical equipment often so need to be able to cover that as well.

Anything else I should look out for? Thanks in advance Drew