Best option to gear anyone up is to focus on reg dungeons and get faction rep. As you get exhalted with each faction...youll get access to better gear and be able to hook up more heroics. Also theres plenty of decent epic craftable items that people may be selling on the AH.

BTW my main is a shammy on Echo Isles. Also my old main was a pally...and I have a hunter on cenarius that I'm leveling