About National Wattle Day
Wattle Day celebrates the golden wattle as Australia’s national floral emblem. The wattle is resilient against Australia's droughts, winds and bushfires and represents the spirit of the Australian people. The golden wattle has more recently been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection, with a sprig worn on national days of mourning.
For more than a century Australians in different States and the territories celebrated their own Wattle Day on different days In July, August and September whenever the wattles were at their blooming best locally. The first celebration of Wattle Day took place, on 1 September in 1910 in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Wattles have long had special meanings for Australians since colonial times when it was used as a symbol to represent the unity between settlers from different countries. In 1988 the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially declared the national flower by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke, cementing its status as an iconic symbol of Australia.
National landmarks across Australia will light up gold in commemoration of Wattle Day.
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