Hi Gordon,
As I'm on the "wrong" side of the country, you'd still be better with local advice on this. I would say, though, that heat alone is not a problem, as they grow fine on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, with reasonably hot (and humid) summers. But out wet season is summer and you are wetter in winter? which might not matter if you have good drainage.

Though they like full sun, the spot you mention, of course, is going to be very much exposed, so whatever goes in there could need a lot of mulching and be possibly subject to more extreme heat off that paving.

So with a bit of research and prep you may well decide to go for this.

My only other comment is that, seedling grown plants can be very variable in colour, and if you are looking for a stunning colour you may need to hunt around nurseries to actually find a shrub of the shape and intensity of colour, that you want for your feature.

Why not give one or 2 a try? Ceratopetalum 'Albery's red' is fairly hardy. I've managed to keep a W.A. banksia coccinea alive over here on the east coast of northern NSW for the last 4 years and they say that won't grow here, so I reckon it's always worth a try.