A backpacker has been inundated with marriage proposals after his Irish mate pulled out of their trip at the last minute.

In a desperate effort to do the right thing and make sure his friend Paddy James wouldn't be left to travel the East Coast alone, Dubliner Robert Keane turned to Facebook when he was forced to cancel at the last minute. Keane, who describes himself as "a shit friend" in The Sun, posted a message on the Australian Backpackers Facebook page. Happily, the response was immediate... and intense. Paddy told Sun Online: “Rob told me it would be a good idea to post looking for friends but I was scared I wouldn’t get any replies. “When I woke the next day I couldn’t believe the reaction it had.”

A post shared by Paddy James (@paddyjames1) on Feb 19, 2017 at 11:03am PST

Not only were strangers (mainly ladies) queuing around the block to join Paddy on his travels, some were even offering him their hand in marriage. “My mates didn’t believe me when I told them, they have all had a bit of banter about it." says Paddy. Admirers have also located Paddy's Instagram account, where you can find a wealth of images of the handsome wanderluster on previous sun-soaked trips. Sadly, as it stands, the solo traveller will still be setting out alone: “I’ve had lots of offers but remarkably no one is leaving on the same day as me." he added. “I might be able to meet up with some people along the way though, which will be really great.” Anyone willing to change their flights?