Every day you practise start with a few scales. Your hands will get used to where the notes fall on the instrument. Technical work is like the foundation of playing an instrument, it's super boring but it'll make playing and learning new pieces easier and faster.
If you haven't already, pick up a beginner's violin method book. (Essential Elements seems to be the one for strings?) it should be for absolute beginners so it should teach you how to read music as well. As for getting the notes to sound right, there are some guides on YouTube for how to tune a violin. You could invest in a digital chromatic tuner, or just use a sound recording on YouTube and your ear.
I played the clarinet while I was in high school. I was in concert band and I loved playing in competitions. I was also in the state youth wind ensemble for a couple of years. Got to play at the Sydney opera house with them.
I think doing AMEB exams really killed my interest in it though. It was just a huge unnecessary amount of stress I put myself through and it stopped being fun.