The Legacy of the Late Great Crocodile Hunter and Other Australian Staples

As someone whose childhood found its home in the 1990’s and early years of the new millennium, I spent a great deal of time learning about wildlife from the late Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter was my first connection to Australian culture, and his pure enthusiasm (and ridiculous uniform) had a lasting impression on me. So when I found out that my spring break tour included a stop at the Australia Zoo (founded by Mr. Irwin), my inner child’s heart soared.

One of the first things I noticed about the zoo was just how strong Steve’s presence still is even though he has passed away. His picture and name are plastered all around the zoo, and I couldn’t help but be saddened by this. His family still works at the zoo, and the thought that they still have to see his face everyday made me think that it must be very hard for them.

Speaking of his family, I was lucky enough to see Terri, Bindi and Robert perform and feed crocodiles, and it was quite the thrilling experience. They ran out to pumped up rock and roll with the help of a fog machine; it might have seemed juvenile to others but my friends and I were ecstatic.

Next came the koalas and kangaroos. My friends and I jumped at he opportunity to take a souvenir photo holding a koala. I handed over the twenty dollars it cost to take the photo as if it were a five-cent napkin. I had been looking forward to holding a koala since I chose to study abroad in Australia. Though only about eight people were in line ahead of me, I could not wait. When the zookeeper finally placed the animal into my arms, I was surprised in two ways: by how heavy the little thing was and by how incredibly not soft he was. Still, my obnoxious smile in the resulting photo was entirely genuine.

Another surprise came in the form of the lacking security around the kangaroo section. You simply buy kangaroo food out of a vending machine (yes, a vending machine) and walk up to the kangaroos lounging around their field. There are no fences and no zookeepers watching over them. At first I was taken aback, but considering the fact that kangaroos are such commonplace animals to Australians the setup makes more sense.

We only spent about two and a half hours at the zoo, but this was plenty of time to check off a few items on a typical Australian must-do list.