A collection of poems about wattles
‘Spirit of Wattle’
by Mike Gilmour 2020
A land of many nations, with a multitude of voices
Where all are equal, free to follow dreams and lifestyle choices
Arrivals always welcome, with solutions clear and vital
And all are free to speak their mind,not fearing harsh reprisal...Read more
Mike Gilmour - in his wattle gear for National Wattle Day 2020
'Our Golden Tree'
by Mark Oliver Smith 2020
You may admire the Cooktown orchid
Or favour Victoria’s pink heath
Others prefer the scent of boronia
Or simply wild flowers in a wreath.
However, I prefer our wattle
Though it blossoms from a spindly tree
When it wears its mantle of greatness
There’s no prettier sight to see.
It’s true; the acacia is not stately
It has to struggle through life – you see.
But when it dons its regalia
It speaks for Australia,
And glows like a golden tree!
Mark Oliver Smith, educationist and author of this
celebration of the Australian Wattle
'The Wattle Way'
by George Kubitzky 2016
It’s almost Spring and hear the throng,
As various birds rejoice in song,
Around the track that winds along.
It’s called the Wattle Way.
Black cockatoos seen cruising by,
Dark silhouettes against the sky.
Oh listen to their plaintive cry,
Above the Wattle Way.
The green grass starts to thrive again,
From puddles formed by recent rain.
And the watercourse adds it’s refrain,
Beside the Wattle Way.
A kangaroo in placid pose,
With morning dewdrops on its nose.
But one false move and off it goes,
Down the Wattle Way.
And the wombat digging underground,
Is stirred by any foreign sound.
You know its home is easily found.
Beside the Wattle Way
The sky so clear and brilliant blue,
Compliments this golden hue.
That dominates your every view,
Along the Wattle Way.
So take the trek my valued friend,
Before September has its end,
It’s only up around the bend,
The wondrous Wattle Way
Wattle Dreams
by Joy Warnes WA
Dalwallinu has come to life with brilliant yellow flowers,
It’s time to welcome back again the wattle in profusion;
In the paddock, down the road, the golden laden bowers,
Create a magic all of their own, a wonderful illusion.
I’m sure it was a wattle fairy prancing ‘neath the branches,
She pirouetted, swayed and twirled, upon her twinkling toes,
And then was joined by many more, a myriad of dances;
I stood so silent, so enthralled, before the dream should go.
Along the track an elf I spied, he too was dressed in yellow,
He had some friends, who rolled along the pebbles on the ground,
They jumped them, spun them, laughed and bellowed;
How I wished they’d call me to join them in their round.
It must have been an apparition, but this is how things go,
For if you travel down the road when the wattle blooms for free,
You’re sure to feel the magic of this very special show,
In the springtime, in Dalwallinu, in wattle country.
Wattle Blooms After Rain
by Joy Warnes WA
This land we call Australia, is home sweet home to me,
Wherever I may wander, sweet is the memory
Of silver sands, the ocean roar, tall trees and wide sparse plains,
But of all the lasting images, it’s wattle blooms after rain.
Sparkling in the sunlight, dancing in the breeze,
Creating magic in the bush the beautiful wattle trees
The perfume of its flowers encompass all around
The golden yellow hues of blossom on the ground.
The wattle is synonymous with Aussies’ greatest feats
The colours have been worn by our champion athletes
Its stamped upon our currency, floes high in banners plain,
But of all the lasting images, it’s wattle blooms after rain.
So here we are together on wattles special day
We come to bear it honour in a very special way
We recognise its beauty, the diverseness it contains
But of all the lasting images, it’s wattle blooms after rain.
'Australia's Emblem' by Margaret Shaw
Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) in flower in early Aug. 2020
Photo: ©S. D. Searle
'The Wattle Celebrates' by An Australian
'The Wattle' by Henry Lawson
'Wattle Day' by Francis Duggan
'Cootamundra Wattle' by Francis Duggan
'Wattle Trees' by Denis Kevans
Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana)