Bindi Irwin Terri’s $11m gift
The wildlife warrior says goodbye to Oz as she sets up house with her boyfriend
Terri Irwin has welcomed her daughter Bindi’s boyfriend Chandler Powell into their family with open arms. Now she’s given the young lovers her ultimate blessing, splashing out millions to buy them a lavish home in the US. Bindi was seen shopping for homewares with Chandler in December, after confirming she’s head over heels in love with the handsome wakeboarder – and now Woman’s Day can reveal the couple are secretly planning a life together in the States. The move comes after countless rumours Bindi is keen to make it big in the US and capitalise on her popularity there, which exploded after her win on Dancing with the Stars in 2015. We’re told the animal-loving duo will relocate to California, where they will call a stunning $11 million mansion home. Sources tell us Terri decided to splash out on the lavish pad to ensure her daughter and Chandler get off to the best start possible together. Bindi, 18, and her 20year-old boyfriend will live a life far more lavish than most couples their age when they move into the five-bedroom, sixbathroom property in the affluent suburb of Atherton, where the average house price is a whopping $8.8 million. The young couple’s new home is just 50km from San Francisco, and boasts the most expensive postcode anywhere in the US.
While many are heartbroken Bindi will be leaving Australia Zoo behind, it’s believed she’s chosen to follow Chandler to his native country in a bid to expand the Irwin brand.
It’s thought she’ll represent her family in the US, while Terri, 52, and Bob, 13, will continue to spearhead the work pioneered by Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Terri’s generous gift also adds weight to ongoing speculation Bindi is planning to commence university studies, and prestigious Stanford University is walking distance from her new home.
Bindi will have a crop of highprofile neighbours – Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen live in Atherton, while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple chief Tim Cook are in neighbouring Palo Alto.
Atherton’s chief realtor Leannah Hunt says privacy is also a given in the sleepy yet prestigious suburb. “Atherton is one of the most expensive cities in the US,” she tells Woman’s Day. “You have some celebrities, but it’s very secretive, and they don’t want people to know about them.”
Bindi has been dropping hints about the couple’s move on Instagram in recent weeks. “No matter where I go, or what I do, home will always be with you,” she captioned one photo of herself, Terri, Bob and Chandler.
And she’s doing all she can to assure Aussie fans of her loyalty, captioning a picture of herself holding a koala: “@Australiazoo will always be my home.”