

Irwin's memoir, The Last Crocodile Hunter: A Father and Son Legacy, was released on 25 October 2016.

Irwin also resigned from his role as manager of Ironbark Station at Blackbutt where he lived, moving to a new 240-hectare (590-acre) property surrounded by forest and national park between Kingaroy and Murgon where he would continue his son's conservation work. Irwin would build a shed, and then the Irwin house, which the Irwin family and Bob Irwin lived in until Bob gave the wildlife park to his son Steve. Irwin dedicated so much time to constructing the Reptile Park and the enclosures that, for the first years in their new life of exhibiting native fauna, the Irwins lived in an old RV caravan. As a builder, Irwin personally turned his hand to building and designing the Beerwah Reptile Park. He had decided to turn his love for animals from a hobby into a career and purchased 4 acres (16,000 m 2) of land to construct a wildlife refuge. Irwin's career in animal conservation began in 1970, when Irwin moved his family from Essendon, located north west of Melbourne, to Queensland. He was a successful plumber from Melbourne who, in addition, had also spent time building sheds and houses. Robert Irwin was born on June 8, 1939, in Melbourne, Victoria. His son was the conservationist and well-known international television personality Steve Irwin. He is the founder of the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park (now known as Australia Zoo). Robert Eric Irwin (born 8 June 1939) is an Australian naturalist, animal conservationist, former zookeeper, and a herpetologist known for his conservation and husbandry work with apex predators and reptiles.
