"Farm1" wrote in message

And wattle seeds need special treatment in order to germinate. IIRC, it's
either scarifying the coat with a bit of sandpaper OR soaking overnight in
a cup of water that has reached boiling point before dropping the seeds
into it.

I was right with both those guesses according to the Aust'n National Botanic
Gardens site:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/