The Golden Wattle
The Acacia pycnantha (the Golden Wattle) is the national flower of Australia. The golden wattle has been the national flower for many years and it was formally declared on the 19th of September 1912. September the 1st is now the "National Wattle Day".
The Golden Wattle grows between 2 and 8 metres high with smooth brown to grey bark. This tree is very mature and it does not have true leaves but it does have long sticks. These are a shiny dark green colour which are 8-20 cms long. On these there appear to be millions of small bright yellow circles which are the tree kind of flowers, and there are about 4 to 23 of these on each branch which accumulates to many all over the tree.
The Golden Wattle grows between 2 and 8 metres high with smooth brown to grey bark. This tree is very mature and it does not have true leaves but it does have long sticks. These are a shiny dark green colour which are 8-20 cms long. On these there appear to be millions of small bright yellow circles which are the tree kind of flowers, and there are about 4 to 23 of these on each branch which accumulates to many all over the tree.
The Coat of Arms
On the Coat of Arms the main part is the shield that contains the badge for each of Australia's states. On the top half (left to right) there is New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. On the bottom half (left to right) there is South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. On the top of the Coat of Arms there is a seven pointed star or the 'Commenwealth Star' under that there is a wreath making a crest. 6 of the 7 points on the star represent the 6 states and the 7th point represents all the states forming one country. The kangaroo and Emu support the sheild and they are the unofficial emblems of the nation. They are very important because they are the native Australian fauna and they are only found in Australia. Also they were chosen because they are the most well know Australian animals. Most people say that they where chosen for the sole reason they can't walk backwards which would represent progress, but in reality they can walk backwards but they just don't do it much at all. In the back there is a Golden Wattle which at the point when this was chosen as the Coat of Arms was the unofficial floral emblem. Right at the bottom of the Coat of Arms there is a scroll which states 'Australia' the name of our nation.