Lone Powerball winner's plans for $60m windfall

A Victorian woman who held the lone winning ticket in this week’s $60 million Powerball jackpot has revealed her plans for her new fortune.

The woman, from Daylesford in central Victoria, has scooped Australia’s second-biggest lottery win of 2023 so far.

“I’ve won $60 million. I don’t know what to say! I never thought I’d get this call,” she told the Lott on Thursday night.

“I’m in a bit of shock at the moment. Oh my god! I can’t believe this is happening.

“My husband is walking around dumbfounded. He accidentally hung up on you in a frenzy.”

The winning numbers in Thursday’s draw were 11, 19, 4, 22, 3, 8, 14. The all-important Powerball number was 5.

The woman said she chose her numbers herself.

“They all mean something. They’re all special to me. Those numbers are family and friends’ birthdays that I always play,” she said.

The lucky winner, who has only recently retired, said she already had plans for some of the windfall.

“I think a lot of charities might benefit – especially those that help disadvantaged children,” she said.

“This prize will help a lot of people out. It’s my main goal.”

Her winning 18-game entry was bought online.

In addition to the division one winner, there were 2,004,162 wins in Powerball’s other divisions in Thursday night’s draw, worth more than $39.1 million. Among them were seven division two winners, who each pocketed $155,630.30.

So far this year, 13 Powerball division one winning entries have collectively won more than $454 million. Six of these wins have been in NSW, three in Victoria, two in South Australia and one each in Queensland and Western Australia.

The country’s biggest lottery winner so far this year is a western Sydney dad man who pocketed $100 million from Powerball in June.

The Bankstown man told the Lott he planned to carry on with his day job. He did at least promise his family would get a new home.