Want to restore iPod (30GB) so I can use it on my mac rather than old PC?

*Is it simply a question of restoring my iPod to factory settings then connecting it to my MacBook and starting all over again?*

You need to connect it to the MacBook and restore it in iTunes for Mac, restoring it on a PC in iTunes for Windows will not format it for Mac.

You should be able to use an iPod on multiple computers and since you intend restoring it anyway that should sort any problems out. The bottom line is that if you want to reformat it for a Mac then it has to be connected to a Mac and restored, you won't be able to format it for Mac by connecting it to a PC

If you want to connect and use an iPod on multiple computers you set it to manual update: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone

This allows you to connect the iPod to another computer and add content from a different library without erasing what's on it. This is a bit irrelevant to you since you are going to restore and reformat it which will erase it anyway but you can change the setting if you like. Connecting an iPod to a different computer should not cause it to break since they are designed to work with more than one (otherwise you'd never be able to change your computer without buying another iPod). If your previous iPod broke there must have been some underlying problem. However as I said before, if connecting to another computer worries you then there's no way to reformat it since the Mac is another computer and you will have to connect it if you wish to do what you asked in the first place.