The First Hello
Hayley and Steven first met at a 30th birthday party in 2021. Steven was awkwardly standing alone, so Hayley took it upon herself to make him feel welcome.
They crossed paths again in 2023 while playing lawn bowls. They both ended up at the Sundowner Hotel afterwards. Hayley saw a more confident and quirky side of Steven.
They exchanged phone numbers and started getting to know each other. From there their relationship quickly began to grow.
The First Date
In the beginning, Steven and Hayley spent countless nights at Steven’s place – sharing dinner, drinks and non-stop laughter. They listened to music and skateboarded down the hallway.
For their first official date, they went for beers at the Bayview Hotel. It is now their go-to spot whenever they get a day off together.
The First Holiday
After only 2 months of dating, Hayley went travelling up north with her parents. After 2 weeks apart and a lot of phone calls, Steven flew up to meet them in Darwin.
They spent the week looking at crocodiles, playing mini golf, riding E-Scooters, playing card games, and laughing through magic shows. Steven fit into the family right away.
The Proposal
Hayley had been hassling Steven to propose for months, regularly sending him photos of the ring she wanted. On the 11th of November 2025, they drove to Melrose for lunch and arrived early. Hayley suggested a walk past the brewery and spotted a sign for the "Chicken Run" trail.
As they walked towards the creek, Steven started acting suspicious and Hayley quickly realised what was happening. He got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes, of course.
Afterwards, while celebrating over lunch, their families unknowingly joked about Melrose being a good place to get engaged, completely unaware that it had just happened.