Say g'day on Howdy: Hunter woman launches rural dating app

Paterson-based horse trainer and entrepreneur Mia Ryan has lived in regional Australia her whole life and saw firsthand how difficult it was to find a partner in remote locations.

After attempting and failing to find love online, Ms Ryan realised that she wasn't able to fine-tune her searches enough to get matched with a like-minded country boy.

So she created Howdy, a dating app with a unique in-built feature to allow members to connect with matches anywhere in Australia.

"Chances are when you live in the country, your closest neighbour could be hundreds of kilometres away or if you're in town, you probably already know or are related to everyone on the app," Ms Ryan said.

"I saw a gap in the market after witnessing how many of my friends and family were struggling with other dating apps because they were maxing out their radius settings and getting no matches.

"I want everyone to experience connection, whether it is romantic or platonic. Just because you call rural or regional Australia home doesn't mean you should be starved of social connection."

Unlike other dating apps, Howdy features scrolling instead of swiping, which Ms Ryan described as a game changer by providing an in-depth profile of a person, rather than a quick swipe of a photo on first appearance.

Howdy allows both males and females to filter preferences by age, gender, sexual orientation, interests, location, and whether you are a farmer wanting a farmer, or a city slicker dreaming of a life on the land.

"Like many, I know rural and regional Australia is the best place to live, and for those living in the city dreaming of a happily-ever-after away from the bright lights of the big smoke, Howdy is for you," Ms Ryan said.

The app could be a tech-savvy solution to the disproportionate gender populations some metro and rural areas are currently experiencing.

According to the latest Bureau of Statistics data, some metro areas are experiencing an extreme man drought, with just 86 men for every 100 women in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, while in the Riverina town of Junee in southern NSW, there are 133 men for every 100 women.

"I believe that I am truly filling a much-needed gap in the agricultural market by providing a straightforward product for like-minded people to connect," Ms Ryan said.

"Howdy offers a place to combat loneliness in isolated environments - first and foremost - to connect people both platonically and romantically.