WITH two sexy single women as my guides, I went deep into the heart of the dating game to find out how women are coping with the chronic man drought.

According to my female sources, if you're a successful single woman aged between 25 and 40 the odds of finding a suitable man are worse than 50 to 1.

My guides in this Friday night field study work in high-powered jobs and possess intelligence, beauty, and a wicked sense of humour.

I was baffled by their single status. Surely they would have been snapped up by now.

But no. They are languishing in Lonely Town and like many women in similar shoes they've considered leaving Cairns for greener, male drenched pastures.

Apparently this is a problem so entrenched and complex there is little hope of a short, middle or long-term solution. It is that drastic.

Essentially, us blokes have got no idea.

We dress like homeless people and sometimes smell just as bad.

We never approach women until we're so drunk we don't care who we pick up.

By midnight our senses are so numbed with booze we might as well be talking to a lamp post.

And if you see a man initiate contact with a woman in a pub chances are he's either married or gay.

Generally, there is also a great divide in our working lives.

Far Northern fellas are high paid tradies or low paid tour guides, out for a good time and little else.

Sheilas have spent their twenties climbing the corporate ladder, and are in Cairns as managers, administrators or skilled service industry staff.

They find it difficult to relate to Far Northern blokes in the same age bracket, be it culturally, professionally or emotionally.

In capital cities men are metrosexual, so they don't mind suiting up to go to a fancy restaurant before heading to the theatre or a movie with subtitles.

Sure, they're girly men, but they get the girls we all want.

Here, we drink beer, watch footy and go fishing. With other blokes.

In all the pubs we visited that fateful Friday night, the two girls were routinely ignored, snubbed and left to talk
among themselves.

In one stark experiment at Gilligan's, one of the girls deliberately cosied up to a bloke at the bar.

She said hello but her body language said more, giving him the perfect opening to buy her a drink and spark
some conversation.

He said hello back, but was too busy buying beers for his mates to stop and chat.

He walked off without a second thought at the missed opportunity.

If our Friday night field study was anything to go by, the girls are destined to live a barren, lonely existence until they turn 50 when the ratio of women to men finally swings back in their favour.

If you're a single female who doesn't want to wait until then, you've got two options: lower your standards or
leave town.

If you're a single male, well, we're not exactly picky.

Finally, if you're lucky enough to be attached, show your better half some extra love this weekend to thank them for rescuing you from the depressing nightmare that is the Cairns singles scene.