Hook, line, jackpot: Fishing trip ends with $1.6 million win

A northern suburbs family are celebrating an unforgettable start to 2026, after reeling in a Division One prize worth more than $1.6 million in Saturday Lotto’s Megadraw.

The ticketholder, a woman in her 50s, purchased the System 8 ticket from Grand Boulevard Lotteries in Joondalup for last weekend’s $30 million Megadraw and visited Lotterywest HQ with her family to claim the prize this week.

The winner said it took a while to get her husband on the phone to pass on the life-changing news that they were now millionaires.

“My husband was away on a fishing trip when I checked the ticket at our local retailer,” the winner said.

“There aren’t many reasons why he would cut a fishing trip short, but after telling him we had won more than $1.6 million, he joked that he would make an exception this time.”

The couple visited Lotterywest HQ this week with their two adult children to claim the prize.

Sitting in the Lotterywest Winners Room still in shock, the winner said she had thought it was odd the retailer asked her to come around to the back of the store when checking her ticket.

“When he explained we had won a Division One prize I couldn’t believe it and burst into tears," she said.

“I was frozen in shock because this kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like us.”

While the couple plans to keep working, the win will take the stress out of daily life and allow them to spend more time together as a family.

In addition to a new car for one of their children and paying off the mortgage, the family are planning a trip to the Maldives with extended family this year, a destination they have always dreamed of visiting.

Lotterywest spokesperson Zoe Wender said it had already been a brilliant start to the year for WA players, with five WA tickets already matching the numbers to a Division One prize this month.

“Thanks to Saturday Lotto’s $30 million Megadraw and Millionaire Medley, WA players are already enjoying life-changing prizes this year,” she said.

Each year, Lotterywest supports hundreds of community groups across the State through its grants program.

A Lotterywest grant of $50,000 is supporting the Ellenbrook Community Collective's Summer Event Series, connecting the local community through arts and cultural activities.

Tomorrow’s $20 million Powerball jackpot gives WA players the chance to become a multi-millionaire.

Tickets are available until 6pm on Thursday in-store, online and through the Lotterywest App.

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