Wattle Day Welcome

Wattles have long had special meanings for Australians
and in 1988 the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
was officially gazetted as Australia's national floral emblem.

In 1992, the first day of September each year was officially declared
'National Wattle Day' throughout Australia by the Commonwealth of Australia.

2010 was the centenary of the celebration of wattle day on 1 September 1910 in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

Celebrate National Wattle Day

Sunday 1 September 2013

WEAR a sprig of wattle or Australia's colours of green and gold

GREET each other with 'Happy Wattle Day'

ORGANISE a picnic, lunch, morning/afternoon tea, BBQ or dinner for your family & friends

National Wattle Day - why do we celebrate?

• Wattle is our national floral emblem. It is a symbol that comes directly from our land;
• Wattle is Australian and represents us all. Unlike other national days, National Wattle Day excludes no one;
• Like our people, wattle has great diversity (with nearly 1.000 species) and resilience;
• Wattle welcomes in the spring and is among the first plants to regenerate after fire, reminding us of the importance of renewal as it paints our national colours across our land; and
• Wattle is a unifying symbol for all Australians. There is no other symbol that says so much about us and our land, Australia.
• Wattle is a symbol of Australia and Australians.

So join the celebration of National Wattle Day - Sunday 1 September 2013.

Terry Fewtrell
President
Wattle Day Association

Events 2013

We welcome news of your National Wattle Day events and activities and will feature them here on our Events page. Please email the President with the details. 

Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO, Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia receives a basket of wattle, on behalf of all of Australia's schoolchildren, from students from the Burgmann Anglican School Junior School for National Wattle Day 2012
Photo: ©J. Tunningley

Solving the Australia Day Puzzle

It is the same every year! And it seems unlikely to ever go away.
Australia Day (26 January) fails to be the unifying day that we might all hope for....
National Wattle Day, gazetted as 1 September, would be a candidate for an alternate day of national celebration, reflection and re-commitment. But having the conversation about such matters is what is important in the short term. Read more...

Wattle has graced Australia's Coat of Arms for 100 years

Prime Minister Andrew Fisher changed Australia’s Coat of Arms in 1913 to include more relevant Australian symbols and made a spray of wattle the background feature. 

 Image courtesy of:

http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/coat-arms/#Images

Australians have reason to celebrate the centenary (18 January 2013) of the inclusion of Wattle on the official Australian Coat of Arms. Wattle Day Association President, Terry Fewtrell says: “It is all the more appropriate that Wattle is the background of our national Coat of Arms, as it has been here for millennia. Wattle has welcomed us all – indigenous, colonial and modern day immigrants.”

'Dawn Waterhouse loves wattle'

In 2013, as we celebrate the announcement 100 years ago that the name
of the new Australian capital would be Canberra, read how one well-known Canberran identity, Dawn Waterhouse, has loved wattle all her life. 

'The humble wattle gives us identity'

What do we want from a National Day asks Terry Fewtrell, 
President of the Wattle Day Association, in an 
article published February 2012.

©Wattle Day Association 2012

If you are interested in the Association's Wattle Day badge (above ), 
you can either dowload the the image above (the 2012 badge) and make your own badges, 

or

contact our President about the badges made by the Association. 

Join us - share your enthusiasm & events

©Wattle Day Association 2012

 The Wattle Day badge (above) was designed by members of the Wattle Day Association and Graphic Ark Pty Ltd, to support  our volunteer rural fire brigades.

There are strong links between Wattle (Australia’s floral emblem and national icon) and bushfire brigades (local community heroes). Each year in the spring brigades engage with their communities at street stalls and other events to raise awareness of fire preparedness.