Bob Irwin's extraordinary life as a wildlife pioneer, father to wildlife warrior Steve and founder of Australia Zoo, told in his own words.
Bob Irwin grew up in the Dandenong Ranges, where his passion for wildlife was born. A near-death experience while working as a plumber made Bob realise he needed to follow his dreams, so he and his wife, Lyn, moved their young family to Queensland, where they opened a wildlife park on the Sunshine Coast. The Irwin children grew up in and around the Beerwah Reptile and Wildlife Park, learned about the animals there from their dad and cared for orphaned wildlife at home with their mum. Passion for the environment and all animals became a way of life for them.
This unique upbringing had a profound impact on Bob's son Steve, who followed in his father's footsteps and became famous around the world as the Crocodile Hunter, an educator and wildlife warrior. Bob nearly didn't survive the sudden death of his adored wife, Lyn, and it was Steve who helped him face life again. When the world tragically lost Steve to a freak diving accident, it wasn't just the animals that lost the best friend they ever had. Bob did, too.
Describing it as moving forward without a map, Bob spent many years burying himself in physical work as a means to cope with the loss of his son. It was the natural world and the animals within it that helped Bob to keep going, and since then he has continued to fight for his beloved Steve's legacy of protecting the wildlife, environment and planet on which our own survival depends.
Entertaining, moving, impassioned and inspiring, The Last Crocodile Hunter shows the heart and soul of a great Australian character, father and wildlife campaigner.