Cassan Cowman, who was originally from Donoughmore, drowned last Sunday after slipping into water rapids during a family day out at Wappa Falls in Queensland.
The 49-year-old father of three failed to surface after pushing his son to safety - his body was discovered later that evening.
More than 6,000 euro has so far been raised through the GoFundMe page, which was set up by a family friend to help with his children's education.
His wife Trish has paid tribute to her husband, whom she described as a “fabulous father” and “passionate about politics and social justice”.
“Our Irish and Australian families and friends are mourning the loss of Cassan, our father, husband, brother, friend,” she said in a statement.
“Last Sunday at Wappa Falls, Cassan jumped into the falls to rescue his sons; he pushed them out of the water, but was unable to save himself.
“Cassan moved from his beloved County Cork with his family to Australia 15 months ago, and was in love with our beaches, blue skies and bushland, and went exploring with his family at every opportunity.
“Cassan was a fabulous father to his three children, dryly funny and very passionate about ethics, politics, social justice, and of course Ireland beating the All Blacks in Dublin.”
Originally from Donoughmore in Cork, Mr Cowman is survived by his wife and their children Ormond (11), Ella (9), and Torin (7).
Friends of the heroic father have set up a Gofundme page to assist his family and raise funds for his children’s education.
Tracey Anne Lutton, the organiser of the page, said: “Ormond, Ella and Torin were the apple of Cass’ eye and like any parent he wanted the best for their futures.
“Cass was charismatic, Irish to a fault, but at the end of the day ultimately he simply loved his family.
“He was a devoted family man through and through, working day and night to provide for his family,” she said.
People can donate to the fund in honour of Mr Cowman at the ‘Cowman Family Education’ Gofundme page www.gofundme.com/cowman-family-education.
