Bindi Irwin reveals the rarely seen side of Steve Irwin in heartfelt interview

Many Australians believe they know it all when it comes to Steve Irwin. His larger than life personality and passion for wildlife protection won him many fans, here and overseas. Though his life was cut short at age 44, his legacy has continued through the tireless efforts of his family, who have remained committed to the cause of wildlife conservation.

But there was more to Steve than we think and now daughter Bindi has shared some surprising details about her father, shedding new light on the late Crocodile Hunter.

The 26-year-old opened up to Sarah Grynberg on A Life of Greatness podcast and revealed her father suffered from “terrible insomnia” which caused him to wake up in the middle of the night.

“He had terrible insomnia. I mean, he just never slept,” she said.

“He would wake up at 2am and by the time everyone else’s workday has started, he’d put in a full day’s work.”

It’s this same focus that helped Steve fill multiple notepads with observations and studies that were only discovered recently at Australia Zoo.

Speaking to Grynber, Bindi explained that staff were clearing out an office before a renovation was to start and discovered the journals in a cupboard.

“People may not realise that he had such a scientific mind,” she said.

“I was looking through his journals and he would just write down, I mean, thousands, it’s not an exaggeration, but thousands of pages worth of information and facts and studies and findings.”

In the years that have followed since his passing, Bindi has remained firm in her dedication to honouring her father’s memory, both in her personal and public life.

Back in 2021, Bindi admitted she and her husband, Chandler Powell, often played documentaries of Steve Irwin for Grace and that her young daughter seemed “captivated” by them.

“We have so many documentaries of Dad, and we’re always playing them for Grace,” Bindi said.

“It’s so fun to watch her study him. I didn’t realise how much dad’s passion for life and his animated facial expressions, I mean, they captivate her.”

Bindi has previously also shared heartfelt social media posts paying tribute to her late father, picked a wedding dress that mirrored her mother’s gown when her parents married, and even named her daughter in honour of Steve.