Wattle Day Is Coming

Under the Southern Cross I stand
A sprig of wattle in my hand
A native of our native land
Australia, Australia, you * * * beauty

Rod Marsh, Australian Cricketer. 1987





As you will notice, the Wattle has its place on the Australian coat of arms
Here is an excerpt from the Wattle Day page:-
In Australia, the wattles are the largest genus of flowering plants. Of the 1380 species of acacia in the world, Australia has about 985. And in Australia acacias are the extremely diverse - found in habitats from rainforest to arid lands. The largest numbers of species are found in the semi-arid wheatbelt region of Western Australia but high numbers also occur associated with the rocky tablelands of the Great Divide in eastern Australia. Although species numbers are generally lower in the inland desert regions, it is here that Wattles are King with species like Mulga (Acacia aneura) dominating the landscape for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres. Wattles range in size from mat-like creepers (e.g. Acacia aculeatissima and pulviniformis) to tall forest trees (e.g. Acacia bakeri and Acacia celsa). Most, however, are shrubs or small trees between about 1 and 5 metres tall (e.g. Acacia acinacea and Acacia acuminata).
Botanists still ponder the question as to why there are so many different species of wattle in Australia. Why in Australia is there such wattle diversity?
Australians may have made a home for themselves amongst the gumtrees, but it is the wattletree that has found its way into Australian symbolism. Most Australians can recognise a wattle, at least when it is in flower. In the years leading up to Federation in 1901, the Australian Natives Association (ANA) began a campaign to find a national flower as an emblem for Australia like the rose for the English, the thistle for the Scots, leeks for the Welsh and the shamrock for the Irish. The Canadians had just recently chosen their maple. The wattle was the choice, the ANA committee said, as it was not excluded from any part of Australia, had bright beauty and was useful in tanning hides! The wattle was being called upon to represent an egalitarian, classless Australia of golden prosperity. Wow!


Wattle Day — 1 September or 1 August
The long-standing differences of opinion and confusion as to which date, 1 August or 1 September, is more appropriate for Wattle Day was settled in 1992 when agreement reached between the Commonwealth and States – 1 September is the day. This standardization resulted from the urgings of Maria Hitchcock and her associates.
Unaware of this vital snippet of information, it was on on Sunday avo, August 5 .I set of for the nearby hills to feast my eyes on the blazing wattle blooms. The above picture and the ones below confirm, there was no wattle blooms to be seen.
On reflection, I realised that I had been "caught" before,the wattles bloom later in the cooler heights.
Oh to be in the Mallee right now, the golden wattle would be breath taking, Ah well.




I was within walking distance of my home where I was able to photograph the only bit of wattle bloom I saw


Where I was born and grew up, at Quambatook our farmhouse was called "Wattleview", and I have to tell you the Golden Wattle was a magnificent sight before the droughts of the 1940s wiped them out for a time.
We used to get the wattle bark, soak it in water and then put our dogs feet in the solution to toughen up their paws. You probably need to store this piece of information.
What do you think about the title I chose for my Blog?
Rowville Ramblings... very apt.