Pardon my previous post, i meant to post it on the masters forum.
Anyway, now down to my other option, which is to do a Phd in either marine ecology or virology (adenovirus vector gene therapy). I'm wondering whether anyone has experienced doing a Phd in biology after undergrad and whether you find that your laboratory skills are seriously lacking, and do supervisors consider this? Are there any taught research classes available? In the animal science related Phds are we expected to have done much field work in various exotic locations?
I keep reading that it is very important to do a Masters degree first, but the problem is i can't afford that, unless i join a funded project (that i may not be especially interested in but will give me useful skills? i.e cancer research) - any particular ideas where i should look and what i should do?

In order to qualify for a PhD, don't you normally have to have completed an honours year or a masters degree? This intermediary step to a PhD should give you all the basic experience you need to undertake PhD-level work.

In the sciences a masters is not essential. I went straight from undergrad to PhD. At the end of the day lab skills can be picked up pretty quickly

you don't need a masters to do a science PhD unless you get a 2ii or lower.
i know plenty of people who went straight form undergrad to PhD, but then again I'm in my 2nd year as a research assistant without a PhD and I feel that there's no way I could have done a PhD without at least 1 yrs experience

Apologies. In Australia you must either have completed an honours year (which is considered an undergraduate year even though it's research-based) or a masters by research. There is no avenue for a direct entry into a PhD without this two.