For me, the most reliable native for flowers for bees and the birds has to be the grevillea. There are many cultivars available and you will be able to get small bushy groundcovers of 1m tall to 2m wide, to tall shrubs. Having read your profile, it seems to me that you would like a nice mix of drought tolerant cottage-looking natives.

I am in WA, so some of these suggestions may not be suitable to Vic, and I am not sure what your soil is like. But the westringia (native rosemary) is gorgeous and looks in place in a cottage garden. So does any of the lilly pillies, which I use as a hedge. Small melaleucas of any type also fit in. As does the kunzea. But for me, I love the baekeas (very whimsical, semi-drooping habit, fine soft needle leaves and covered entirely in small white flowers), the leptospermum cadwell (similar to baekeas), the hibbertias (little yellow buttercups), and lescheunaltias. I also love the wedding bush, and the native WA irises.

My front yard is a mix of exotics and natives, with roses growing next to melaleucas, leschenaultias growing near the apricot tree, lilly pilly hedges, and grevilleas, banksias and gum trees. Oh, and the scaevolea (fanflower) and native violet are also favourites.

Also, I can't forget the correas and the croweas. The correas, native fuschias, are beautiful when in flower. They need some care during the first year or two, but now they get only the water that the good lord provides. The crowea, or star flowers, are also gorgeous - and come in white, pinks and reds. These will look at home in any cottage garden.

If you want any of the botanical names, or some pictures (I have specimens of all of the above), please let me know.

A very good plant list for natives can be found at zanthorrea.com.au - it is a WA native plant nursery - with lists of plants indicating the soil/shade/sun/growth aspects of many plants.

Good luck and please let us know what you plant !!