Arms wrapped around each other as the afternoon sun casts a warm glow over the rugged farmland, it’s easy to see that Dustin Manwaring and Sophie Trethowan are head over heels for one another as they invite Woman’s Day to the third-generation cattle, sheep and goat farm in Condobolin, NSW.
FINDING ‘THE ONE’
“We said I love you straight after the show finished,” Sophie, 28, smilingly confesses. She also admits that she had no idea going into the finale who Dustin, 26, was going to pick.
“He played his cards close to his chest, but I was patient and trusted what we had. I knew if he didn’t pick me then it wasn’t right anyway,” she says of being in the final two alongside love rival Anna.
And what is life like now for the pair who fell in love as cameras rolled on season 14 of the hit Seven show?
“We’ve just slotted back into normal life. It’s been so lovely to witness how our relationship is outside of the show,” says Dustin.
A STRONG CONNECTION
Speech pathologist Sophie, who lives in Albury, is yet to officially move to the farm – plans are in the works for August or September – but has been staying with Dustin for weeks at a time since filming wrapped a few months ago.
“It’s been nice not having to rush, but it still goes too quickly,” says Dustin of her visits, which have seen her get to grips with sitting on a tractor and delivering Uber Eats to Dustin while he works!
“I haven’t been able to do much on the farm yet as I’m still working full-time but I’m excited to when I move. I already have my year planned out. I’ll move after the netball season and then we’ll see if I can hack it out here if we don’t kill each other,” she quips, cheekily adding, “And if that goes well there will be a diamond ring!”
“Oh, will there?” retorts Dustin, playfully. But they agree on one thing, “We both want kids – and sooner, rather than later.”
THE NATURAL CHOICE
In all seriousness, Sophie says she knew from very early on that Dustin was the one for her. “Right back at the application videos, I knew I really liked him and then the feelings just grew stronger from there until we fell in love,” she says.
“He had a really nice smile, a cheeky character and lovely brown eyes and mop of hair. I found his passion for the farm attractive too.”
For Dustin, finding a best friend was really important. “She’s starting to become one of my best mates, we get on really well. Soph, for me, it was just really natural and easy from the start.
“We have a similar mindset, same values and she really wants to be back on the farm,” he says of her childhood spent growing up on her family’s farm outside Rand, which is a few hours away from Dustin’s place.
AUTHENTIC FROM THE GET-GO
As for falling in love on screen, it was when the cameras stopped rolling that they really got to know each other. “You don’t get to know each other that well when the cameras are on, but luckily we got plenty of time together off screen,” shares Dustin. “Some of the girls would completely change when the cameras turned off – they’d talk about other stuff entirely, but Soph was always herself.”
Addressing some of the farmers and girls’ concerns over how the show was edited, Sophie says it was hard to watch Farmer Bert becoming increasingly upset. “In those final episodes he looked like he really didn’t want to be there.
“It was a little disappointing that more of the girls doing farm work wasn’t shown, and we’ve heard from other girls and farmers that they didn’t have such a positive experience, but we got the best experience, we had really good producers.”
THE STRUGGLE WAS REAL
One thing they did struggle with during filming was “having to talk about our feelings all the time, we got so sick of it!” Dustin laughs.
A plus side, though, has definitely been the strong friendships they’ve forged with the other farmers and women. “I still talk to them [the farmers] every day and we’re all planning on having catch-ups. It’s hard to talk to other people about it because it’s such a weird experience,” confesses Dustin.
“It’s fun, it’s a very unique and special experience,” adds Sophie. “We’re all in contact and still really close. It’s strange because after the finale you don’t really get to say goodbye because people just drive off in the cars, which was why the reunion was great because we got to catch up!”
GOING THE DISTANCE
As for which couples they think will go the distance? Sophie and Dustin say their money is on Daisy and Todd and Joe and Sarah, “I think they’re pretty strong”.
And while Sophie and Dustin are preparing for a long life together, with a farmhouse full of children and dogs, Sophie admits it’s going to be a big change.
“I’ll be moving away from all my friends, I’m used to going to work, going to the gym and playing netball – and Dustin’s farm is 50 minutes from the nearest town. But I want to make a life out here. I’m excited for everything that’s to come.”
