Kalbarri's mystery millionaire

Somebody from Kalbarri –— or a lucky visitor to the coastal town — is $1 million richer and doesn’t know it.

The Kalbarri News and Gift Centre sold a ticket which won $1m in Lotto on Monday night.

The lucky owner is yet to come forward.

Just days earlier, a ticket bought in the South West town of Harvey earnt $1.1m for its buyer.

Simone Morgan, the owner of Kalbarri News and Gift Centre, said there was a buzz surrounding the Mid West as news of the $1 million Lotto win spread.

“We are all super excited. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing someone here has had a big win, ” she said.

“There are so many deserving people in the community who we would love this prize to go to.

“It has been really busy here since the draw and we are waiting for the lucky winner to come forward.

“We do have a concrete floor, so I hope nobody passes out.

“We have the champagne on standby and a blackboard out the front tells people to check their tickets.”

Ms Morgan said it had been nine years, almost to the day, since the store last sold a Division 1 winner.

The ticket worth almost $375,000 was bought in a Saturday Lotto draw held on September 10, 2005.

The latest win brings the number of WA Division 1 winners this year to 60.

These winners have shared in prizes worth almost $85 million.

And it’s not just WA winners who are celebrating, with Lotterywest directing 33 cents of every dollar spent on Lotterywest games to support the WA community.

Local community groups to benefit from these funds include the Kalbarri Volunteer Sea Search and Rescue Group, which received a $50,555 Lotterywest Grant to support the group’s rescue activities.