Daylesford and Hepburn are awash with the colours of spring on this first day of the new season. And in this part of the world, that spring colour is a multitude of shades of yellow and gold. Wattles, daffodils and (sadly) gorse are currently the predominant plants in flower in our landscape.
Golden Wattle (Acacia pycantha), Australia’s floral emblem.
There are over 700 species of wattle in Australia and there are indigenous species in every state and territory. It has been said that some species of wattle is in bloom every day of the year somewhere in Australia.
But it is the 1st of September that is officially Wattle Day. It was first celebrated in 1910 in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia but it was not until 1992 that Wattle Day was proclaimed for the whole of Australia.
The wattle was first suggested as the floral emblem of Australia in 1891. In 1913 it was incorporated into the Australian Coat of Arms. In 1984, the green and gold colours of the wattle were adopted as Australia’s national colours although they had been proudly worn by Australia’s sporting teams for many years before that.
On September 1, 1988, the Golden Wattle, Acacia pycantha, was proclaimed the floral emblem of Australia.
Happy Wattle Day! And Happy Spring!
