And in a true Facebook twist, Melody McCabe's not even a member of the Buy Swap Sell group - she saw Anthony's story on the Canberra Times Facebook page.

Anthony and Melody have so far shared a coffee (that we hear progressed to brunch) and posed together for photos for this article, but their big outing to the National Zoo and Aquarium is planned for this Saturday.

Anthony had the whole of Canberra talking last Tuesday night when he posted an ad to the 'Canberra and Queanbeyan - Buy Swap Sell' Facebook group offering a free ticket to the zoo - with a catch. The catch was, you'd have to go as Anthony's date.

The stunt resulted in 160 direct messages from women across Canberra, but Melody is the woman who'll enjoy admiring the brown bears next to Anthony this weekend.

So how did the social media-savvy bachelor narrow down his massive selection?

"I am yet to read a lot of the messages," he admitted.

"Many were offers to go on the zoo date, many were simply messages of support which gave me a lot of confidence.

"I sent personal messages to several women to invite them for coffee. I chose four women to have coffee with. Luckily, I met Melody on coffee date three. It felt quite overwhelming to have so much choice.

"Melody's smile is infectious, she's sincere, genuine and looking for the same things I am in a relationship - so in the end, it was an easy decision.

"I am smitten to have found her."

Melody, a federal public servant, said she never really expected to receive a reply when she direct messaged Anthony on Facebook after seeing the Canberra Times story.

"I thought Anthony was handsome, he seemed sincere and I liked that he was trying a different approach to dating," she said.

"I wasn't actually looking for love but I thought I'd take a chance and send Anthony a message. I never expected him to reply.

"I'm really looking forward to the date and getting to spend more time with him - I've never been to the zoo before so it should be fun."

In an age of "swipe left" and perfect profile pics, Anthony - a self-confessed "old schooler" who prefers face-to-face chats over online dating - said he's glad he stepped outside his comfort zone in a quest to find someone special.

"I created that special 'sliding doors' moment that brought Melody and I together on our journeys and now it's up to us to see what we can make of it," he said.

"I just wanted to take the time to record a thank you to Canberra for your overwhelming support of my little love stunt last week.

"I was sincerely flattered by the interest and the amount of women that privately contacted me.

"For any men and women out there looking for love or just someone to get to know over coffee or a trip to the zoo, all I can say is that it might be worth the moment of awkwardness and being courageous for a short moment to find someone special.

"We both consider ourselves lucky to have met one another, particularly under such crazy circumstances."