I can only offer you my own experience as a beginner to touring so take it at that level.
I bought a Dawes Galaxy 2007 earlier this year and it cost me £650 including some front blackburn low rider racks a couple of spare inner tubes and a couple of 'free' services an dtwo water bottle cages.
I intend to use it for touring and have already done the shopping on it. I am a big guy so I got the largest frame size at 64 but it comes in a range of frame sizes. I got the racing green colour. I changed a few things on it:
1) The supplied Sella Italia saddle had to go...it was painful and caused numb nuts syndrome. I replaced it with a voltaire 'sofa' with a blood supply groove but that was just as bad....so i took advice from the chaps on this board and bought myself a Brooks Champion B17 which is wonderfully comfortable even though it is still being broken in. The Dawes super Galaxy are supplied with a B17 I believe...but do your own cost calculations.
2) The pedals...came supplied with toe clips...but the pedal was to narrow for my feet and caused numb feet...I replaced them with some basic flat peddles which were ok, but were un balanced when I added the toe straps....so I took the plunge and added some double side shimano clipless cleated pedals or spd's and bought myself some
nike walkable roadshoes....this combination is perfect for touring and walking aroung ASDA...the extra power in my legs is measurable and I wouldnt go back to clips now ever.
Other than that the bike is stock.
It is a solid bike, heavier than road bikes but it comes into its own when fully loaded. In fact I much prefer riding it when loaded. The 27 speed cassette is standard but easily adequate for what I need it for and even when loaded I rarely need to go onto th esmaller cog except in a strong headwind up a hill.
I am told that the schwalbe marathon tyres are some of th ebest touring tyres out there. I have had two puncture in my 1300km since purchase...both of which were as a result of the valves on the inner tube parting from the tube when I was pumping up the tyres with a cheaper hand pump (so no probs with the actual tyres). I have now ordered a Topeak mini morph which has a flexi tube between pump and valve to alleviate the problem.
I found wheel removal on both puncture a piece of cake.
The bar end gear shifters were new to me (coming from a mtb) and took some getting used to...however they are ideal and I would not change them if I could. All I need remember is ...'to go up a hill, pull the lever up'... and all is well.
The supplied rear rack has been steady when heavily loaded. The mudguards are plastic and can on occassion bend slightly, but all it takes is a light bend back again...nothing serious and they never touch the tyres.
I am much slower than the lycra Roadies on this bike...but it's heavier...I am not as fit...and th etyres are thicker most likely. So dont get this bike if you are looking to do fast TT's etc.
OK thats all I can offer...I hope it helps. In conclusion I would say that it is a beast of burden and a dam fine beast as well. You can see a pic of my bike in th elink in my signature below.
Good luck.