Australia Zoo - Beerwah, Queensland, Australia
S 26° 50.195 E 152° 57.580
56J E 495992 N 7031663
The Australia Zoo, located near Beerwah in the Australian state of Queensland, Australia, was made famous by Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. It is owned by his widow Terri Irwin and is a very popular tourist attraction.
Waymark Code: WM5TVH
Location: Queensland, Australia
Date Posted: 02/13/2009
Views: 13
From Wikipedia:
Australia Zoo was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin in 1970 under the name Beerwah Reptile Park. Bob Irwin is a world renowned herpetologist, who is regarded as a pioneer in the keeping and breeding of reptiles. His wife Lyn was one of the first to care for and rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife in southeast Queensland.
Bob and Lyn passed on their love and respect for wildlife to their children, especially to their son Steve, who had helped his parents since childhood to care for crocodiles and reptiles and to maintain the growing number of animals in the zoo. Over a decade later the park was renamed to the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and the area was doubled with the purchase of another 1.62 hectares. In 1987 the Crocodile Environmental Park was opened in an effort to aid saltwater crocodile protection. By the 1990s the Crocodile Environmental Park had become very popular and was seen as unique for its display of crocodile feeding within the park.
In 1991 Steve Irwin overtook management of the zoo. In 1992 the park was renamed again, becoming Australia Zoo. Currently, the zoo maintains more than 1000 animals and over 550 staff.
Australia Zoo won the Australian Tourism Awards for 2003-2004 in the category Major Tourist Attraction. Australia Zoo Retail has also won the Tourism Retailing Award from Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.
On 16 March 2008 the Brisbane-based newspaper, The Sunday Mail, claimed there are plans to sell Australia Zoo to Animal Planet and create a $100-million Disney-style wildlife theme park.
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