National Wattle Day is celebrated on 1 September across Australia.

We celebrate this day by conducting public walks to promote the natural, cultural and heritage of Queanbeyan. Walks have been held at Mount Jerrabomberra, Bicentennial Park, along the Googong Foreshores and along the Queanbeyan River.

2026 National Wattle Day

Around 40 people attended the 2026 National Wattle Day at Mount Jerrabomberra on Sunday 30 August. It was a fabulous late winters day, full of sunshine and blue sky to welcome our eager attendees.

Again this year our members, Bill Willis, Steve Dovers, Ian Johnsson, Helen Hadobas and Tom Baker led the walk and discussed the many species of wattle and other local natives.

We saw a wide variety of wattle species alongside other local native plants:

Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle)
Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle)
Acacia genistifolia (Early Wattle)
Pimlea, Heath, Hardenbergia, Fan-Leaved Grevillea, Nodding Blue Lilies, Orchids and Everlasting Daisies were just some of the other flowers and plants that were spotted.

There was more colour along the lower parts of the track this year than last and we were delighted to see a flush of new spring flowers.

We were joined by members of the ACT Field Naturalists Club including Stuart Harris who is recognised for his work identifying and photographing Peacock Spiders.

Others in the group were ecologists, geologists or botanists by study or profession. Thanks again to Emery from QPRC for providing a delicious morning tea and reminding us of safety matters.

For further details of our local wattles, click here to access the excellent resource provided by Steve Dovers.

2025 National Wattle Day

It was a great morning on Mount Jerrabomberra on Saturday 30 August for the National Wattle Day Educational Walk organised by QPRC as part of Biodiversity Month.

Bill Willis and Tom Baker, Life Members of Queanbeyan Landcare led almost 40 people on a slow walk and talk up to the knoll on Mount Jerrabomberra then back to the carpark for morning tea (thanks Emery from QPRC).

We saw many different species of wattle together with other local natives. These included Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle) and Acacia genistifolia (Early Wattle) as well as Grevilleas, Hoveas, Pimelas, Pomaderris, Dianella and Kunzeas. We learnt about the problems ahead for the magnificent Eucalyptus macrorhyncha and about the impact of garden escapees such as Happy Wanderer, the Queensland Lomandra and Grevillea rosmarinifolia.

There were people from the local community, the ACT, Field Naturalists of Canberra and a few Queanbeyan Landcare members. For some it was their first visit to Mount Jerrabomberra, while a few were able to remember the days when the community fought to preserve Mount Jerrabomberra for nature conservation and recreation. Read more about The Mount Jerrabomberra Story. We were all glad they succeeded.

Above images courtesy of Michele Dovers and Fran Curtis

In 2022 Queanbeyan Landcare members shared images of wattles. Some are wattles that occur naturally in the region, others from further a field, and some are just beautiful. These shots are from Bicentennial Park, Cuumbeun Nature Reserve, Molonglo Gorge and the native garden of a Lifetime Member of Queanbeyan Landcare, David Dempster.

[Below images © Helen Hadobas, Paul Hadobas, the Dempster family, Tom Baker and Steve Dovers.]