Robert Irwin was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He married Lyn Hakainsson, a maternity nurse who was killed in a car accident in 2000. Together, they had three children, a daughter, Joy, son Stephen (Steve, who died in a stingray accident in 2006), and a second daughter, Mandy. While Irwin made a living as a plumber, and Lyn as a maternity nurse, the family's consuming passion was rescuing and rehabilitating local wildlife. Steve Irwin, the couple's son, would not only come to fulfill the roles of curator and director of the Beerwah Reptile Park, but also produced and starred in his highly popular educational documentary series, "The Crocodile Hunter". Steve would enlarge the park to and rename the park the Australia Zoo.