 The Sydney suburb of Telopea takes its name from the Waratah, as does the Newcastle suburb of Waratah and the Super Rugby team, the Sydney-based NSW Waratahs.After Australian federation in 1901, the upsurge in nationalism led to the search for an official national floral emblem.The New South Wales waratah was considered alongside the wattle "Acacia pycnantha", and debate raged between proponents of the two flowers.