Sydney, Jan. 7 (AP): A memo to Australia's lovelorn: your dating prospects are about to improve.

Rich Gosse, a self-described “flirting expert” from San Rafael, California, has come to Australia to show singles how to flirt, meet the person of their dreams and base their choices on compatibility, not hormones. At conventions in three cities across the country, Australians will learn finesse in the art of flirting and speed dating, and discover that playing hard to get won’t get them what they want.

The rule to successful flirting is easy, says Gosse: make eye contact. Smile. Have a good opening line. “Single people are very superficial. They judge a book by its cover,” said Gosse, who met his wife Debby at one of his own flirting conventions in San Francisco five years ago.

“Flirting is not a chore. Flirting is fun. Flirting is easy.” Gosse has organised a “mystery dating” extravaganza in Perth later this week, at which masked singles will sit opposite each other for five minutes and talk before moving on to a new partner. But there are rules. For instance, a man can’t ask a woman her age or weight. And women aren’t allowed to ask men what they do for a living.