'Needle in a haystack': Condobolin pride as TV farmer's wife search nears

Farmer Dustin, 26, will star in the popular program Farmer Wants a Wife, as part of the brand new season of the show coming to Channel 7 and 7plus after Easter.

Dustin described finding love as difficult, particularly living in the central west, where he is the show's most remote farmer.

In fact, the third-generation farmer said the dating scene in Condobolin was "dismal".

"It's like trying to find a needle in the haystack," he said.

And finding a lasting connection was also problematic: "Everything's going good until they say, 'Oh, so where are you from?' And they're like 'Nah that's it, I'll pass'."

Kim Jones, owner of the Railway Hotel Condobolin, said "everyone" knows Dustin around town, particularly because his grandfather held a prominent position at the local council for over 10 years.

Mrs Jones enjoyed having the television crews in town during the filming of the television show in 2023.

"The town was very excited for a while, people coming and going," Mrs Jones said.

"There was a very positive vibe in the town when they were filming and the crew was coming and going. It created something to talk about."

She said the locals were all "excited" to see the film crews around Condobolin, which is affectionately known to the locals as "Condo" and is "a tight knit town", and "all about community".

The film crews even came and played a game of pool or two at her hotel, which she described as "fun to watch".

Mrs Jones described Dustin's family as "a very well-established family in the town that have always had a positive contribution".

"This is [going to be] a bit of fun for the town to watch, and people who haven't been to Condo will get a sense of what's going on out here," she said.

She continued: "Good on him for putting himself out there."

General manager of the Lachlan Shire Council - which takes in Condobolin - Greg Torey, said there were bound to be "a lot of people who are watching very keenly from the area".

"Council's pleased that a local resident was selected to be a competitor on the show," Mr Torey said.

"We've been supportive of any requests that we've received for filming in our local government area in public spaces, and we were very pleased to assist with that.

"We're grateful for any promotion or any advertising that promotes the Lachlan Shire, and we will also be grateful for any economic benefit that will come as a result of that increased promotion of our area."

Farmer Wants a Wife will be hosted by Samantha Armytage and co-host Natalie Gruzlewski, and Channel 7 said in a statement the show was "set to captivate the audiences with its unique blend of romance, authenticity and country charm".

Farmer Dustin will be looking for love that lasts forever and will use his warm personality and genuine intentions to attempt to overcome those geographical barriers on the show.

This year's farmers are: