Bindi Irwin and her brother Robert are paying tribute to their late father Steve Irwin on the 20th anniversary of his death. Bindi, now 28 years old, posted a heartfelt message on Instagram calling him "our superhero" and saying that she has come to realize that his legacy is not just about wildlife conservation, but also about love for family and the planet. The family continues to run the Australia Zoo in Queensland, which was founded by Steve's parents in the 1970s, and also runs several conservation projects in Australia. Since Steve's death at age 44, his widow Terri has posted on Instagram that grief still walks with her daily, but she is holding onto their lasting memories of love.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The family of Steve Irwin, including his children Bindi and Robert, are honoring their late father on the 20th anniversary of his death. Steve Irwin was killed at the age of 44 in a stingray attack while diving near the Great Barrier Reef in 2006. His daughter Bindi, now 28, has written a heartfelt tribute to her father, calling him "my family's superhero" and stating that his legacy is not just about wildlife conservation, but also about love for the planet and each other. She notes how her mother, Terri Irwin, lost the "love of her life" and how she and her brother grew up missing their father, whom they describe as "the greatest dad." The family continues to run the Australia Zoo in Queensland, which was founded by Steve's parents in the 1970s. Bindi also shares a touching story about how her own 5-year-old daughter connects with her grandfather through his documentaries, feeling loved and cared for despite never having met him.
Written for “Steve Irwin Tribute” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 3737 · logged 2026-09-04
Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late conservationist Steve Irwin, along with her brother Robert are honouring their late father 20 years after his death.
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Irwin → honour → death
Irwin was 44 years old when he was killed in 2006, after a stingray pierced his heart with its barb while he was diving near the Great Barrier Reef.
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he → kill → Reef
His daughter, now 28, who was eight years old when her father died, called him her family’s “superhero” in a tribute on Instagram.
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father → die → Instagram
“In the last 20 years, I have watched the world mourn my dad with our family.
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world → watch → family
I always thought that my dad’s legacy was wildlife conservation; it turns out, his legacy is love.
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legacy → think → ?
,” she wrote.
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she → write → ?
“I have a 5-year-old daughter who watches his documentaries every morning.
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who → have → documentaries
She feels utterly loved by her ‘grandpa crocodile’ without ever having met him,” she added.
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she → feel → him
She said the impact of her father’s death had left her mother, Terri Irwin, without the “love of her life,” and her and her 22-year-old brother to grow up missing “the greatest dad.”
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her → say → dad
Since Irwin’s death, the family has continued to run the Australia Zoo in Queensland, which was founded by his parents in the 1970s.
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which → continue → 1970s
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“My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come,” his daughter wrote.
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daughter → get → generations
She called her late father “our guardian angel,” and thanked him for “watching over” her daughter.
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She → call → daughter
Steve’s widow also took to social media to commemorate her late husband.
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widow → take → husband
“After 20 years, grief still walks with me like my shadow,” she wrote in an Instagram post, writing of her lasting memories of their love.
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she → walk → love
“We were together…on our crocodile research expedition, for what was to be our final six weeks together,” she wrote.
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she → write → expedition
“Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye,” Irwin added, referencing the trip they were on when her husband was fatally injured.
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husband → add → trip
“Hold every moment dear with the ones you love.
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you → hold → ones
Until we meet again,” she concluded.
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she → meet → ?
Robert also remembered his dad on social media, posting a picture of him as a baby gazing lovingly up at his father while perched on his knee.
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Robert → remember → knee
“Your legacy is forever,” he wrote.
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he → write → ?
In a second post, Robert shared a video of his father articulating what he hoped his legacy would be, intercut with footage of him playing with his children and interacting with numerous animals.
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him → share → animals
“One thing that I, Steve Irwin, would want to be remembered for is…passion and enthusiasm,” he says in the video.
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he → want → video
His son, who was two years old when Irwin died, credited his father for sending a lasting message:
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Irwin → die → message
“Thank you, Dad, for showing me and the entire world what it is to truly live,” Robert wrote.
“To lead with empathy, to treat every living being how you’d wish to be treated, and to be passionate in everything you do.
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you → thank → everything
Your mission and light lives on always.”
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mission → live → ?
The Irwin family run several conservation projects in Australia, including a crocodile research and telemetry tracking project in Queensland, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, which treats, rehabilitates, and releases injured and orphaned animals back into their natural habitats and a dedicated wildlife rescue unit, among others.
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which → run → others
