Crikey! It’s Australia Zoo. A 700-acre facility on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains.
It was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin in 1970 under the name Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park.
Their son, Steve, had helped his parents since childhood to care for crocodiles and reptiles and to maintain the growing number of animals in the zoo.
In 1982 the park was renamed the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and the area was doubled with the purchase of another 4 acres (1.6 ha). Steve and Terri changed the name of their now growing wildlife park to Australia Zoo. As filming generated extra funds, Steve and Terri put all money raised from filming and merchandise into conservation and building new exhibits.
Following Steve’s accidental death from a stingray, Terri became the new owner of the zoo.
freshthinking 