Terri Iwin talks about the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve

By Chrissie Goldrick August 28, 2014
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On a remote nature reserve at the northern tip of Australia, Steve Irwin’s memory continues to inspire efforts to understand and conserve his beloved reptiles.

THE ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT Wenlock ­River flows through the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve (SIWR) in Cape York, one of four conservation properties in Australia Zoo’s ­portfolio, all of which are in Queensland. It’s here, since 2007, that the world’s most comprehensive crocodile study has been taking place.

The reserve was acquired in July 2007 after the federal government signalled its wish to honour recently deceased Steve Irwin by renaming a national park in his honour. Terri requested a more hands-on memorial to her husband.

“I said that, with all due respect, we would like to proactively manage a property so that instead of just setting it aside in Steve’s name, we could do some positive things with it,” Terri says. That property turned out to be Bertiehaugh station, a 1350sq.km pastoral lease in remote Cape York, 55km north-east of the bauxite mining hub of Weipa.