Following an aggressive local council bidding war, 'crocodile hunter' Steve Irwin has confirmed that he will continue to operate his popular park and zoo in Australia’s Beerwah city – and also announced plans for a theme park in Brisbane.
Situated in Australia’s Queensland state, the Australia Zoo, which is run by Irwin and his wife Terri, is a huge tourist attraction for the area.
It was recently reported that Irwin had planned a $27m zoo expansion but had encountered problems getting the plans approved by the Caloundra City Council.
There were also concerns about the effects on tourism that the close proximity of Irwin’s proposed ‘Croc Hunter’ theme park, in Brisbane, could have on the zoo.
In response, Calounda’s rival Gold Coast City mayor, Gary Baildon, had then apparently promised the croc hunter a ‘red tape-free ride’ if Irwin was prepared to relocate to the Gold Coast.
However, Caloundra City Council and Australia Zoo kept lines of communication open and it was announced by Caloundra Council on 15 October that Steve Irwin would continue to operate the Australia Zoo at Beerwah.
Caloundra City mayor, councillor Don Aldous, said this was an excellent outcome for everyone involved. “I am sure the entire community will be pleased with Australia Zoo’s decision to not just stay at Beerwah but expand their operations here," he said.
"With the increased expansion of the zoo in the next few years, hundreds of new jobs will be created in our city which will make it an even bigger contributor to the local economy.”
As for Irwin’s Brisbane-based ‘Croc Hunter’ themepark, an understanding has been reached that, instead of competing with zoo, it will complement the tourism experience instead.
Aldous explained: “Hearing Steve talk about his future plans in certainly exciting and it is great to see that his plans for the proposed ‘Croc Hunter’ theme park in Brisbane will mean that it will not compete with the zoo but will allow additional opportunities for tourists. Ideally, tourists will spend a day at the theme park having a croc hunter experience and then be bussed to Beerwah the following day for the zoo experience.” Details: www.caloundra.qld.gov.au
