White sage is heavily commercialized, culturally specific to North American indigenous tribes, and energetically foreign to the Australian landscape. If you want to clear a house in Melbourne, Sydney, or Hobart, use what grows in your own backyard.
Imported herbs lack the raw, adapted resilience of native flora. Here are two direct swaps that work significantly better on southern soil:
1. Lemon Myrtle for Clearing
Instead of sage, use Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora). It has the highest natural citral content of any plant on earth. Burning dried lemon myrtle leaves or using the essential oil in a threshold wash cuts through stagnant, heavy energy like a knife. It is bright, aggressive, and instantly lifts the frequency of a room.
2. Red Gum Kino for Warding
European grimoires constantly call for Dragon's Blood resin for heavy protection and banishing. You don't need it. River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) bleeds a dark red sap called kino that hardens like glass on the tree trunk. Grind this red resin up in an iron mortar and burn it over hot charcoal. It is fierce, territorial, and deeply rooted in this continent. It forms an energetic brick wall around a property.
Note: Always harvest ethically. Take only fallen kino or what the tree can easily spare. You are walking on land cared for by First Nations peoples for 65,000 years; show respect.