Gidday RB....after all of the advice so far mate, you are probably suffering an information overload...to cap it all off:
The brand of rifle is the one that feels best and most comfortable in your hands, is easy to carry for as long as you need to and offers the best factory support.
The calibre you choose will be the one that:
1. Does the job you require of it, when you require it.
2. Is readily obtainable (as a factory loading) in the load you require, when you require it, and comes in a broad range of loads, including bullet weight...and at a cost that is not disgustingly obscene.
3. Is easily reloaded (if that is the way you eventually choose to go) and the components are readily available, with a good diversity of bullet weights and styles, and won't cause you to have to mortgage your house.
4. Will not wear your barrel out just in getting the rifle zeroed ready for hunting. (Edit: 1350 hrs 15 Nov)
5. Is not going to cause you to cringe every time you think about squeezing the trigger...either from the cost or with a recoil induced flinch.
Call me crazy, call me wild, but I believe strongly that the 30.06 meets all of this criteria better than most other calibres.
Good luck with your final selection mate...whichever way you finally choose to go, I think it will be the right one for you.
Cheers, Vince