Looking for Love? Head to the ACT or Your Nearest Mining Town

SYDNEY, August 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- eHarmony reveals the nation's love hot spots

It's official, the ACT is the state love hot spot of Australia according to research released today by eHarmony, the number one trusted online dating site.  Showing that it is now less public service and more 'pucker-up', residents are one third (33%) more likely than average to be looking for love, compared to 8% less likely in 2010. Hot on its heels is Queensland with residents 16% more likely than average to be in the pursuit of passion.

This is in stark contrast to the Northern Territory, otherwise known as the country's state love desert, with residents in secluded areas including Darwin and Alice Springs a whopping 71% less likely to be chasing companionship compared to the national average.  Indeed, for Australia as a whole, it's the inner cities rather than regional and rural areas where people are more likely to be searching for their soulmate.

Mining for love

Collated from more than 790,000 singles registered with eHarmony.com.au, the findings also reveal that it's not just raw materials that miners are on the hunt for.  Drilling down into the data has revealed that men close to mining hubs are making the search for love their main interest.  It's West Coast in South Australia which takes the top spot as home to the most men in Australia looking for love, closely followed by the gold mine meccas of Lefroy and Lakes in WA which both lay claim to 66% of single men.  

Cosmopolitan girls

At the opposite end of the spectrum, single women are very much 'girls about town', choosing metropolitan areas as their manor.  Gold Coast has the highest proportion of single ladies (66%), followed by Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (63%) and North Sydney (62%).  

"Single people are looking for love in all corners of the country," explains Jason Chuck, Head of Country for eHarmony.com.au.  "Given the advances in technology you shouldn't let distance be a barrier to finding the one that is right for you.  There has never been a better time to join over 1 million Australians on eHarmony and take your soulmate search online."

Sydney's hottest spots

If you're looking for love in NSW, make sure you turn your attention to the state capital's North Shore. The state's top five love hot spots* have been unveiled as:

1. McMahon Point
2. Neutral Bay
3. Camperdown
4. Manly / Manly East
5. Rushcutter's Bay / Pott's Point

Melbourne's hottest spots

If you're in the pursuit of passion in Victoria, set your sights on the city of Melbourne or wider regional areas.  The top five love hot spots* in the state have been identified as:

1. Docklands
2. St Kilda Road Central
3. Doreen / Mernda
4. St Kilda South / St Kilda West
5. South Wharf / South Bank

Brisbane's hottest spots

Queenslanders really are mining for love. The top five love hot spots* - have been identified as:

1. New Farm / Teneriffe
2. Albion
3. Fortitude Valley / Newstead
4. Milton / Paddington
5. South Brisbane / West End

ACT's hottest spots

The areas in ACT with the highest proportion of people looking for love* are:

1. Acton
2. Tuggeranong
3. Amaroo
4. Fyshwick
5. Mitchell

Adelaide's hottest spots

SA's top five love hot spots* have been identified as:

1. Munno Para
2. Port Adelaide
3. Uraidla
4. Mawson Lakes / Pooraka
5. Glenelg

Perth's hottest spots

Within WA, Perth wins as the home of the love hot spot. The breakdown of these love hot spots* have been identified as:

1. Highgate / Northbridge
2. Nowergup
3. East Perth
4. Herdsman / Osborne Park
5. Fremantle

*Love hot spots are based on the percentage of the population who are looking for love online compared to the Australian average.

Notes to editors

The data is based on information collected from more than 790,000 Australian singles, aged 18 years or above, who registered with eHarmony between 2009 and 2012, and population estimates provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  The analysis was conducted by Lonergan research in June/July 2012.

Single Australians who join eHarmony complete a Relationship Questionnaire which collects information about their values, personality traits and what they are looking for in a partner. They are then matched with like minded singles using the eHarmony Compatibility Matching System™. This study was conducted in a manner which was intended to respect the privacy of registered users of eHarmony by keeping identities anonymous.

About eHarmony

eHarmony was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships. Available in Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil, eHarmony presents users with compatible matches based on key dimensions of personality that help to predict highly successful long-term relationships. eHarmony.com.au has received well over 1 million registrations since launching in the Australian market in 2007.

For more information, or to request an interview with Jason Chuck or an eHarmony couple case study, please contact:

Jackie Gray, One Green Bean: Jackie@onegreenbean.com.au | +61-8020-1809

Shadia Galal, One Green Bean: shadia@onegreenbean.com.au | +61-8020-1837