C
ritically endangered sharks, the purest of water and Steve
Irwin’s legacy … LiQUiFY’s Rachel Syers takes an amazing
trek through untouched Cape York to understand the link between
these three, and to meet the man tasked to care for them all.
We’re in Far North Queensland heading to
ancient springs thought to be around 50
million years old that are believed to be the
lifeforce of the endangered speartooth
shark - a species so rare that an adult has
never been captured.
It’s a place where eight-metre scrub
pythons lurch from treetop to treetop
overhead, and where the leaf on a kneehigh plant is rougher than the coarsestgrit sandpaper at Bunnings and perfect
for shaping boomerangs - this is Steve
Irwin Wildlife Reserve where the late Steve
Irwin’s legacy is still stamped as loud and
proud as the famous catchcry of ‘Crikey!’
which warmed the world to his Aussie ways
and passion for his homeland’s wildlife.
The incredible and absolutely pristine
50-million-year-old
‘Bluebottle
Springs’
hidden deep within the reserve| Photo: Ben
We’re closer to Papua New Guinea than
to Cairns and though it’s only September
the heat is rising to what’s bound to be
uncomfortable by mid-morning. Today
Steve’s wife Terri heads out by tinnie with
Bindi, 16, and Robert, 10, and the rest of
the Australia Zoo crew to tag crocodiles
along the banks of the Wenlock River. The
whole family travel to the reserve for a
month each year in conjunction with the
University of Queensland and are leading
the world with the most comprehensive
crocodile research ever conducted.
The distinct speared teeth that
give this rare shark its name