It seems to me that there are many plants that are used way too much and others way too little. This is more of a wish list that things will change over time and become more varied. I live in Sydney, which reflects what is actually on the list.

Plants I Definitely See Too Much Of
• Acacia baileyana(Good ol' Cootamundra Wattle) - there are 900 wattles, some local flora would be nice
  
• Banksia integrifolia(Coast Banksia)
  
• Any red bottlebrush-Callistemon spp.
  
• Cyathea cooperi(Rough Treefern) -a must for every yuppie. Lacks the class of the smooth..
  
• Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon'/'Superb' - especially when leggy
  
• Leptospermum laevigatum - looks nice sometimes when old (nice trunk), but really, not on every street corner....
• Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella Tree)
  
• Westringia spp. (my wife likes these but I don't really see the attraction)

Plants I See Alot Of But, Well, They're Nice
• Banksia ericifolia(Heath Banksia)
  
• Banksia serrata(Old Man Banksia)
  
• Banksia 'Giant Candles'
  
• Dicksonia antarctica(Smooth Tree-fern)
  
• Grevillea 'Honey Gem'
  
• Grevillea 'Moonlight'
  
• Grevillea 'Misty Pink'
  
• Stenocarpus Sinuatus(Queensland Firewheel Tree) -Marrickville Council loves this one
  
• Tristaniopsis laurina(Water Gum) -Marrickville Council likes this too

closeup using a flash

Plants That Should Be Easy To Grow But Are Underused
• Banksia conferta(rare species from Gt. Dividing Rge.) - has nice foliage
  
• Banksia oblongifolia (prev. asplenifolia) - nice and manageable max. size (2-3m), nice buds.
  
• Banksia spinulosa 'Lemon Glow' -a refreshing change from the norm; had to get mine from Melb.
  
• Callistemon pinifolius (Green form) - if I'm going to have to see these plants about, then the odd green flowered one sounds nice
  
• Correa reflexa(understorey plants are underused in gardens)
  
• Epacris longiflora(like the preceding, if only it weren't so hard to propagate....)
  
• Grevillea laurifolia (a nice groundcover from the Blue Mtns.)
  
• Grevillea sericea (Pink Spider Flower - nature's local grevillea in Sydney)
  
• Grevillea speciosa (Red Spider Flower - another of nature's local grevilleas in Sydney)
  
• Grevillea 'Collaroy Plateau' (nature did a bit of hybridization between the above 2 species on the northern beaches and came up with this)
  
• Grevillea venusta -quite different looking and apparently easy to grow.
  
• Grevillea 'Orange Marmalade' - similar to above species.
  
• Hakea archaeoides - not really local (Pt. Macquarie), but very nice
  
• Hakea bakeriana- more local than preceding (Hornsby plateau and Central Coast), nice foliage and flowers.
  
• Leptospermum macrocarpum - now this sounds a nice tea tree with decent sized flowers for a change.
  
• Leptospermum rotundifolium 'Lavender Queen'

  Cook's River Flora/ Garden / Banksia List
  Native Alternatives / Native Birth Plants