Recommended Aussie Breeds?

[Brooksy]

That's a fairly noble and worthwhile cause Amanda.
There are two main reasons why finches become rare in aviculture.
1 is that they are hard to keep (aggressive, high maintenance, die easily) which requires a bit of experience to succeed.
2 is they are a bit on the drab and lifeless side like the silverbill (but a nice bird in their own right)
The Gouldian and painted are brilliant little Aussie birds to start with and the painteds can become fairly tame.
Something a bit more challenging would be the Diggles, Hecks Longtail, & W E Masks (seperate of cause) but you would need a lic for them.
The main thing is to have fun with the more common species first

[ragamuffin]

Thanks all, it's interesting reading these responses. I'm glad that this forum exists, I think without it we could have blundered our way into a few issues. I quite like the idea of some of the plainer ones, despite our interest in having a few showier finches, we realise they aren't the be all and end all, I mean our zebs are quite plain but I love them to pieces. Glad to have a bit to think on, and again, thankyou for the advice.

Cheers
Amanda

[Diane]

Might have to rethink our Cuban idea then (drat, there go the names Missile and Cigar! ).

Great names, maybe just on that basis alone another aviary is needed just for a pair of Cubans, you could even name the aviary "South of the Border!"