Not one but three of this season's Farmer Wants a Wife ladies are from Wollongong, in perhaps the most concerning sign yet that the city is bereft of eligible men and that women here must scour unheard-of map specks like Pozieres, Queensland, in their pursuit of love.
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Like Cassandra! The show has the glossy 30-year-old public servant heading north to vie for the affections of moustachioed apple farmer David, having had her heart badly juiced in a previous relationship.
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"I was about to get married and my husband ran out on me four days before the wedding," Cassandra has told show runners, adding that David's moustache and his closeness to friends and family made him the pick of this season's farmer bunch, in her eyes.
Cassandra lists her turn-offs as prior cheating, homophobia and lack of commitment and says she went on the show "as a bit of fun but also I have been single for five years now and was looking for something serious".
Meantime, fellow Wollongong resident Olivia will be wooing fifth generation sheep and cattle farmer Matt, from Brookham NSW.
The 24-year-old admin officer says her friends often refer to her as 'Little Miss Sunshine'. With a family history in hobby farms, she could be one of the more farm-ready contestants, but has told producers straight up: "I will certainly not be killing anything, especially spiders".
Olivia fancies a small, country-style wedding and dreams of raising her own family on a farm, hence the interest in farmers.
"I was also very sick of the dating scene in Wollongong/dating people who thought they knew what they wanted...so I gave Hinge the flick and applied here instead," she writes.
Rounding out the Wollongong trio is 25-year-old registered nurse and snowboarding enthusiast Christina. She'll be pursuing crop and cattle farmer, Brad, 32, from Cootamundra.
"I am a sucker for a cattle farmer , but I will have to convince him to get a pet highland calf. I'm trustworthy, fluent in Serbian and I save peoples' lives," she says.
Farmer Wants a Wife lays claim to being "the world's most successful dating show", having spawned 170 marriages and 388 babies worldwide, including nine and 25 in Australia, respectively.
This season premieres April 10 on 7 and 7Plus
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Angela Thompson
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
