Starting shooting for someone who knows nothing about guns

I am looking into taking up shooting, with the aim of hunting rabbits, and maybe deer or goat.

I know almost nothing about guns, so am looking for some advice. I am in Australia, so specific advice on guns etc will not be the same, but I beleve we have access to most anything that is not automatic or semi-automatic, so most hunting guns should be much the same.

What I am most interested in is questions like how long it is likely to take me to learn to shoot well enough to consider going after live game, and what skills or training beyond target shooting I need to think about?

I have a nearby range where I can shoot a .22 rifle up to 50 metres (around 150 feet). I also have a range that shoots at longer distances, but says they use a different type of rifle as hunting rifles overheat when used at target practice.

Also, how transferable are skills from one rifle to another? If I get a new rifle with a different calibre will it take long to learn how to use it, and will I decrease my accuracy if I switch between a few guns?

I have a gun shop a few blocks away I am planning on going to to ask these questions, but would love to have some input from this forum too.

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Starting shooting for someone who knows nothing about guns