Australian Bureau Statistics data reveals a huge surplus of men in Murrumbidgee West (including Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera), particularly in prime mating age ranges.

This may be why an increasing number of big city girls have fallen in love with Griffins and moved to the region.  

Liz Stott, 34, was a successful communications professional living in Sydney, a city overrun with single women. 

Though not looking for a partner, she met a handsome Griffith cotton farmer, Dallas, in 2008. The couple quickly fell in love, and Liz made the big move to Dallas’s home town a year later.

“It wasn’t a hard decision. I was getting sick of the traffic, congestion and hassle of Sydney anyway,” Liz said.

Liz was bowled over by Dallas’ creative dating choices, which outdid your average Sydney guy’s beer-and-a-movie effort.

“For one of our first dates, he took me for a ride on his tractor. I was impressed, I’d never seen one before.”

She thinks Griffith is a great town for young love birds to get to know each other, with lots of nice Italian restaurants, and wide open spaces for romantic walks.  

The couple have been happily married for five years, and now live on a farm near Whitton.

The stats favour women like Liz. In 2015, there were over 1,200 more men than women aged under 70 – a big gap for an area with a modest overall population.

For those in their 20s, there were 181 surplus males, and a whopping 357 extra men in the 50s age range.

Even young lads hoping to snare their first kiss face a grim numbers game, with 355 more boys than girls aged under 19. 

So while the women prosper, the men struggle. 

Ar’e Abera is a 38-year-old Zumba instructor who moved to Griffith four years ago.

He seems to tick all the boxes – he’s charming, intelligent, bulging with muscles and a great dancer. And he’s a good cook. But he’s been single for most of him time in the town. 

“It would be nice to find someone, but it’s been quite difficult here,” Mr Abera said. 

He says people tend to have their own circle of friends and it’s tough to break into them.

“Most of the good girls seem to be taken,” Mr Abera said. 

The Zumba instructor does come across beautiful Griffith girls in his class, but has a policy of not dating students. 

Mr Abera would surely prosper in Sydney, but it seems the girls have the upper hand in Griffith. 

The Area News