The year 5 and 6 students were presented with medallions from the Governor General and enjoyed afternoon tea at the ceremony.

The students, accompanied by the Governor General, Mrs Hurley, and representatives of the Wattle Day Committee later planted a new wattle tree on the grounds of Government House.

In a brief address to the students, the Governor General turned to the wattle as a source of inspiration during difficult times.

"[Wattle] is the national symbol of unity and resilience, and don't we need that at the moment," he said.

"We are going through a difficult period at the moment and unity and resilience - it's like a sum, it's going bigger than the two elements and it gives us national strength."

"It is difficult out there, as you can imagine, but the really delightful thing we see for the younger people is that everyone has their eyes fixed on a brighter future at the end of this."

Mrs Hurley, joined by three students sung "The Wattle Bloom" an original song written by Mrs Hurley. Mrs Hurley, who was formerly a school teacher, said that she believes singing was important for the well-being of young people.

"I've never had a singing lesson, I haven't been trained to be a singer, but I just love it," she said.

"We do a lot of singing here at Government House."

"I think singing is a gift we can give each other, and it's so good for us and a lot of people have had it sort of beaten out them because they weren't perfect."

"We're on a mission to get people singing for the intrinsic joy of singing."

Wattle Day, which falls on September 1, marks the beginning of spring and has been observed since 1910. This year marks 21 years of the Wattle Day ceremony being hosted at Government House.

Wattle Day is not yet recognised as a national holiday, however the profile of the event may bloom in 2020. National landmarks across Australia will light up gold in commemoration of Wattle Day.

In Canberra, the Telstra Tower, Bowen Place, Kings Avenue Bridge, the National Carillon, Questacon, The Royal Australian Mint and The Shine Dome will light up gold to celebrate.

"In celebrating wattle day we also celebrate the ability we have to help each other," Wattle Day Association president Suzette Searle said.

"That is what makes us strong as a nation."

"The fact that Canberra is lighting up is just very exciting - you've got the nation's bush capital wishing everyone in Australia a happy Wattle Day."

Dr Searle said she felt moved by the Governor General's words on the symbolism of the wattle.

"I love what the Governor General said today about unity and resilience equalling strength," Dr Searle said.

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Dr Searle said that the wattle gives her optimism. "Seeing a wattle in full bloom just lifts your spirits," she said.

"Not only is it the end of winter, but also it's been such a difficult year for us all to have your spirits lifted just by this fabulous blooming wattle, that's an important thing.

"Wattle has been proposed as a symbol of unity in Australia since the 1890s, the fact that it grows across Australia and everyone can grab a bit, it was a unifying symbol.

"It's not just something you grow in one state it was out there. It was a symbol of unity. We've got more than one thousand species that have evolved across this country - it really knows about resilience in this difficult country."