'Wattle' day, 1st Sep, was a formerly
widely known spring celebration, with a bushwalk and picnic amongst the usually
prolifically flowering 'wattle's' the common way to pass the day.
Acacias, or 'wattles' are Australia's national floral emblem and perhaps the
largest Australian plant genus. Some species are widely cultivated and of
economic or horticultural importance in Australia and overseas.
Acacia review by Mulga (in new window) ver. Jan 2000
for further information
An interesting article concerning the cultural significance of the Wattle (Acacia) in modern Aaustralian life from the time of federation to the present is linked below
Nationalising
Nature: Wattle Days in Australia (pdf file), by Libby Robin, in `The Dog
of War' Special Issue of Journal of Australian Studies, 2002 (Vol 73. pp 13-26
and notes, 219-23).