Twenty Years After Losing Steve Irwin, Terri Opens Up About the Grief That Never Left — and a Promise She Still Holds Close
Twenty years after Steve Irwin’s death, Terri Irwin has reflected on the memories she now holds most closely — including the final weeks her family spent together, before they could have known they were saying goodbye.
Marking the anniversary of Steve’s death on September 4, Terri shared an emotional tribute to her late husband, describing how grief has remained part of her life while time has brought a different perspective.
“After 20 years, grief still walks with me like my shadow,” Terri wrote.
“With the passing of time I have gained more perspective and understanding.”
For Terri, one of the most poignant parts of that reflection was remembering the six weeks she, Steve and their children, Bindi and Robert, spent together on a crocodile research expedition.
She described those weeks as “a long and sweet goodbye” — although none of them knew it at the time.
The final six weeks together
During the expedition, Steve was able to spend precious time with his young children.
Terri remembered him building swings with Bindi and Robert and climbing trees with them as the family simply enjoyed being together.
“We all slowed down. Time slowed down,” she wrote.
Looking back two decades later, Terri said there was something about those final weeks that she now sees differently.
“We all get to say goodbye,” she wrote, reflecting on how people can sometimes share their final moments with someone without realising their significance at the time.
“Hold every moment dear with the ones you love. Until we meet again.”
It is a sentiment that has taken on particular meaning for the Irwin family, whose lives changed forever on September 4, 2006.
The day the world lost Steve Irwin
Steve was 44 when he died while filming the documentary Ocean’s Deadliest in the waters off Far North Queensland.
While snorkelling in shallow water near Batt Reef, a stingray struck him with its barb, causing a fatal injury to his heart.
The sudden loss shocked audiences around the world. But for Terri, Bindi and Robert, it was the loss of a husband and father whose presence had shaped every part of their lives.
Bindi was just eight years old. Robert was only two.
Two decades later, both have continued to speak about their father not simply through memories of his television career, but through the conservation work that remains at the centre of their family.
“Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love”
Bindi marked the anniversary with her own tribute, sharing a video of Steve speaking about her birth.
She remembered the day Steve was lost as the moment the world lost “the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist”, while her family lost their “superhero”.
Her mother, she wrote, lost the love of her life, while she and Robert lost “the greatest dad”.
“Grief never truly leaves us; we walk alongside it every day,” Bindi wrote.
“Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love.”
She also shared a simple message for her mother.
“I love you so much, Mum. You are the strongest woman I know.”
For Bindi, Steve’s legacy has also become part of the next generation of the Irwin family. Her daughter, Grace, has grown up knowing him through the stories, footage and conservation work that continue to surround the family.
Robert is carrying his father’s legacy in his own way
Robert, who was only a toddler when his father died, has also followed Steve into the world of wildlife and conservation.
He shared a video montage in tribute to his father, thanking Steve for teaching him — and the wider world — how to live with empathy and passion.
Robert said his father had shown him the importance of treating every living being with the same respect one would want for oneself.
“Your mission and light lives on always,” he wrote.
His journey has also increasingly echoed his father’s public legacy.