As I indicated in another thread, I'm from Canada, and as such, we have maple wood readily available here. I'm not sure about the availability of maple in Oz, but if you can get some, you may want to give this a go.
I did this at a time when I was having trouble sourcing white oak, and the results were really amazing. I took solid maple wood, cut it into typical aging stick sizes, roughly 13mm x 13mm x 10-15cm long, and charred them on the bbq. I charred them till they were completely black, and immediately after, plunged into water to quench any coals.
I took 15 or so of these, and placed them in my 20L carboy filled with my finest ujssm bourbon, (simple sour mash corn/sugar wash) After a week, the spirit took on color, after a month it has taken on a very typical bourbon note, but with an additional sweet, smokey maple note. If you have ever had real maple syrup on pancakes, (if that's what aussies call em ;) ) think of that taste, sweet and a hint of smokyness. That's the extra note that is added.
I am pleased, and will continue to keep this in stock, I actually prefer it to the identical spirit that's aged on oak.