It's nearly 3 years ago since the death of Steve Irwin, the famous Australian crocodile hunter that captured the hearts of the world with his heroic encounters with crocodiles and snakes. He was a real ambassador for Australia with his larger than life personality and of course, his strong Australian accent. The word "Crikey!" will forever be cemented with Steve Irwin.
Steve will be best remembered for his dare devil encounters with crocodiles and snakes. His career really took off in 1992 when Steve and his wife Terri decided to forgo a honeymoon to embark on a crocodile rescue mission and film it for a wildlife documentary. This was the start of the "Crocodile Hunter" series. More than 150 episodes were recorded and today they have been viewed in over 140 countries by over 500 million people across the globe.
Steve's love of wild creatures can be traced back to his upbringing. His family owned a reptile park in Queensland and he took an active role within the park. It was his Dad that introduced him to Australia's wilder animals. He would take Steve on his field trips to the Australian desert to study snakes or to areas in Queensland where they rescued crocodiles or removed them from populated areas.
Steve met his wife Terri at the Reptile Park. He was 29 and she was 27. Terri was visiting the park from her home in Eugene, Oregon, which is in central America. It was love at first site. It seems they had lots in common too. Terri was also an animal lover, having set up her own wildlife rehabilitation programme called "Cougar Country." She was also a Veterinary Technician in a veterinary hospital.
The 1990's saw the decision for Steve's parents to retire from the Reptile Park. They handed over the business to Steve and Terri to run and they renamed it, Australia Zoo The zoo is probably the most well known in Australia due to Steve Irwin.
It wasn't long until Steve and Terri decided to have children. Their first was a daughter born in July 1998. They called her Bindi, which is an aboriginal word meaning "Young Girl." It was also the name of Steve's favourite crocodile. Their second child was born in 2003, a boy, whom they named Robert. He is very like his father.
On 4th September 2006, a tragic accident took Steve's life. He was hit in the chest by a Stingray's barb and died. The irony! A man that wrestles crocodiles died from a usually harmless stingray. The whole of Australia was in total shock and mourned his death. The ripples were felt throughout the world.
Steve was a legend when it came to his charity work. Today Terri, Bindi and Robert continue on with Steve's plans. Australia Zoo is an awesome day out and continues to attract both National and International travellers. It is only an hour or so drive north of Brisbane and should be added to your itinerary if you intend to travel down the East Coast of Australia. If you love animals or have kids, then I strongly recommend spending a day here.
His wife and children continue Steve's work for charity and they put on a special Steve Irwin Day at the Zoo every November. Bindi now has her own clothes line and even her own doll.
Steve really was an Aussie legend and is sadly missed across the world.
Steve will be best remembered for his dare devil encounters with crocodiles and snakes. His career really took off in 1992 when Steve and his wife Terri decided to forgo a honeymoon to embark on a crocodile rescue mission and film it for a wildlife documentary. This was the start of the "Crocodile Hunter" series. More than 150 episodes were recorded and today they have been viewed in over 140 countries by over 500 million people across the globe.
Steve's love of wild creatures can be traced back to his upbringing. His family owned a reptile park in Queensland and he took an active role within the park. It was his Dad that introduced him to Australia's wilder animals. He would take Steve on his field trips to the Australian desert to study snakes or to areas in Queensland where they rescued crocodiles or removed them from populated areas.
Steve met his wife Terri at the Reptile Park. He was 29 and she was 27. Terri was visiting the park from her home in Eugene, Oregon, which is in central America. It was love at first site. It seems they had lots in common too. Terri was also an animal lover, having set up her own wildlife rehabilitation programme called "Cougar Country." She was also a Veterinary Technician in a veterinary hospital.
The 1990's saw the decision for Steve's parents to retire from the Reptile Park. They handed over the business to Steve and Terri to run and they renamed it, Australia Zoo The zoo is probably the most well known in Australia due to Steve Irwin.
It wasn't long until Steve and Terri decided to have children. Their first was a daughter born in July 1998. They called her Bindi, which is an aboriginal word meaning "Young Girl." It was also the name of Steve's favourite crocodile. Their second child was born in 2003, a boy, whom they named Robert. He is very like his father.
On 4th September 2006, a tragic accident took Steve's life. He was hit in the chest by a Stingray's barb and died. The irony! A man that wrestles crocodiles died from a usually harmless stingray. The whole of Australia was in total shock and mourned his death. The ripples were felt throughout the world.
Steve was a legend when it came to his charity work. Today Terri, Bindi and Robert continue on with Steve's plans. Australia Zoo is an awesome day out and continues to attract both National and International travellers. It is only an hour or so drive north of Brisbane and should be added to your itinerary if you intend to travel down the East Coast of Australia. If you love animals or have kids, then I strongly recommend spending a day here.
His wife and children continue Steve's work for charity and they put on a special Steve Irwin Day at the Zoo every November. Bindi now has her own clothes line and even her own doll.
Steve really was an Aussie legend and is sadly missed across the world.
About the Author:
Jennifer Schellington has nearly half a decadeof experience in travel around Australia. Her site, www.realaustraliatravel.com gives useful information for planning your trip to Australia as well as what to do and where to go. Click here for more details on the Irwin's and getting the most out of a trip to Australia Zoo
No comments:
Post a Comment