party in Victoria

Victoria is the second largest Australian state and as befits the size of the place, there is no shortage of fun activities for people to engage in.
This is both in times of leisure and times of learning. On weekends, the main pastimes include trips to the many major sporting events, either as participant or spectator or one of many other activities available. When it comes to sport, the main thing that sets Melbourne above many other cities of similar size, is the ability of the locals to rouse upa sizeable crowd for almost anything. It has been said that this is because the capital city, Melbourne is dull and boring as compared to the sunnier and more exciting cities of Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, elsewhere in Australia.
Notwithstanding this, the MCG remains Australias largest sporting arena, even though Melbourne remains Australias second largest city and by a sizeable margin at that. The biggest city of course is Sydney. Victoria remains Australias second most populous state and its growth is largely underpinned by the available of residential land at an affordable price close to the city of Melbourne and its CBD. Other weekend activities in Melbourne include visits to the government run Melbourne Zoo, which while squalid and second rate as compared to zoos elsewhere in Australia and overseas, does have the trump card of government hand-outs running tens of millions of dollars and thereby allowing them to engage in predatory pricing practices, that being giving people free admission on weekends. Hence it makes the Melbourne zoo a great place to see native wildlife, birds, reptiles and other animals at a cost of next to nothing.
The downside of all this is that other wildlife parks and private zoos cannot compete with Melbourne Zoo, either on cost or location. The government owned zoo is within walking distance of central Melbourne, whereas no one else can afford such real estate.
Privately owned zoos, wildlife parks and mobile reptile shows also suffer the handicap in that the regulator of their businesses is also their competitor. That is the department that controls the zoo, also regulates the other wildlife education and display businesses. If and when any of them get too large or successful, the Zoo simply askes that they be closed down. Of course their wish is their command and so it comes to pass. Recently closed successful wildlife education businesses closed down by the heavy handed tactics of Zoos Victoria and their government masters include the African Wildlife Safari at Rockbank, John Walmsleys Earth Sanctuary near Lara, Fritz Maatens and Andy Stevens Zoo at Monbulk, Nick LeSoufs Rosebud Reptile Park, the giant Worm on the Bass Highway and many others.
Mobile wildlife display businesses are similarly targeted by the government of Victoria, and that of the snake man Ray Hoser was closed down at gunpoint in 2011. Hoser went to the Supreme Court to get his operating permits restored, but by that stage, he had been forced to cancel over 1,000 bookings for live reptile show education and lost most of his customers to inexperienced imitators and of course the dysfunctional government-run Melbourne Zoo, who coveted the business Hoser had built up.
Ten staff were sacked when Hosers business was shut down at gunpoint on 17 August 2011 in a violent 11-man, nine hour raid.
Of course the other downside is that the less experienced displayers and the government-run zoo gave inferior displays, compromised animal welfare and on many occasions put lives at risk. However the best reptile show or reptile party in Victoria remains that of the snake man and company.