Welcome another Aussie. This is a great game. I'll be playing online this Friday evening so I'll keep an eye out for you.
First thing you need to do is get a character approved.
Click on the start here bit then the character submission wizard.
That will create a character submission with the correct format and automatically generate the required submission post into this forum.
http://forums.layonara.com/character-submissions/
Once your character is approved it will be moved into this forum
http://forums.layonara.com/recent-approvals/
Have a look in that second forum for examples of approved characters. Now is a good time to read the handbook and rules.
I suggest trying a simple character for fast approval. Then when you know the world background in more detail trying something more complex.
Hope to see you online Friday evening.
Cheers,
Stragen