 After the Federation of Australia that took place in 1901, the upsurge in nationalism led to the search for an official national floral emblem.Archibald Campbell had founded the Wattle Club in Victoria in 1899 to promote interest in and profile of the wattle as a unique Australian flower.The New South Wales waratah was considered alongside the wattle "Acacia pycnantha", although lost out to the latter in 1912.