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A reptile park at Beerwah
Bob and Lyn Irwin opened their wildlife park at Beerwah in 1970 as the Beerwah Reptile Park, on two acres. In the 1980s it grew to four acres and was renamed the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. Their son Steve grew up helping at the park and on field trips, from crocodile relocations to snake studies.
The Crocodile Hunter
Steve Irwin took over the management of the park in 1991, the year he met Terri Raines. They married on 4 June 1992, and their crocodile rescue mission became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. As the series grew in popularity, the park was renamed Australia Zoo.
A zoo and a wildlife hospital
In 2004 Steve dedicated the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, which began in an avocado packing shed, to his mother, Lyn. He died on 4 September 2006 in a snorkelling accident on the Great Barrier Reef. Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin continue the zoo’s work today; the zoo says it now covers more than 700 acres, with 110 acres open to visitors.
