INFphoto.comBindi Irwin may be an international celebrity thanks to her famous late father and her own ecological pursuits in her native Australia...
But she's flying solo for now.
"Dad said I can't date until I'm 40," the 16-year-old joked to People in a recent interview, referring to dearly departed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin when asked if she was more than friends with any particular boy at the moment. "So maybe I'll just focus on my studies. It's a long way off."
A number of cozy-looking pics on Instagram sparked a rumor last summer that she was dating 24-year-old (at the time) Luke Reavley, her family's personal assistant and an employee of Australia Zoo (which is on Steve Irwin Way in Queensland). But the Irwins assured the media that Bindi didn't have a boyfriend at the time and Reavley was just a "dear family friend."
And Bindi, who is also big sister to 11-year-old brother Robert, doesn't seem to be in any rush to couple up.
"I want to encourage other young girls not to grow up too soon. Just enjoy the now," she also told People. "It's so easy for 16-year-olds, including myself, to say, 'I just wish I were an adult.' But we can't wish our lives away. When we're adults, we'll say, 'I wish I were 16 again.'"
Ah, the wisdom of youth.
As for those studies, Bindi is in her final year of high school while also taking a few community college courses with an eye on focusing on business and tourism.
"It is that time of life, isn't it?" she mused. "When you're 16, 17, 18 years old, you're really entering that adult world, making decisions for yourself, finding out who you are and where you fit in. I think it'll be a brilliant journey."