Mooroopna woman talks Powerball win into reality
A Mooroopna woman screamed and laughed when a voice on the other end of a phone call last night delivered life-changing news.
An official from The Lott told her she’d won division one in the September 4 Powerball draw, as well as 19 second division prizes.
“Oh my god!” she screamed, when The Lott official called immediately after the draw.
“That’s crazy. Are you serious? I thought, ‘Who is calling me this time of night?’ and I thought this was a weird number.
“That’s my family and friends in the background. I can’t hear you over everyone screaming.”
The woman was in disbelief.
“All day I’ve been saying, ‘Someone please call me tonight, I want to win Powerball’,” she said.
“I can retire, and go on a holiday. I’m shaking. I can’t stop.”
The winner said they were the same lucky numbers she played every week.
They finally paid off.
“I’m in shock, I definitely won’t be able to sleep tonight,” the newly minted local millionaire said.
There were four $20m division one winners in draw 1529, the first time in more than a decade four entries have shared a division one jackpot.
Along with the Mooroopna woman, the other winners included people from Queensland and Western Australia, while one entry purchased at East Brighton was unregistered.
The Mooroopna winner purchased her PowerHit entry through The Lott app.
Her division one and 19 division two wins totalled $20,565,178.75 in prize money.
Water tower set for makeover
The town of Berrigan is about to get a bold new landmark, with work now underway to transform its 80 year-old water tower into a striking mural celebrating the town’s rich horse racing heritage.
Led by Berrigan Tidy Towns and its chairman Mark Ryan, the project has officially begun, with preparation work “just started” to ready the tower for painting.
“It’s been quite an eyesore,” Mr Ryan admitted, noting the ageing structure needed significant external prep before any artwork could be applied.
The mural will be created by renowned artist Alex Sugar, who brings more than 15 years of experience and a reputation for large-scale public artworks.
A community survey helped shape the mural’s theme, with residents overwhelmingly supporting a horse racing motif - a nod to Berrigan’s legacy as a horse training town.
Riders earn success at Gran Fondo World Champs
Cobram Barooga Cycling Club is home to a new world champion following the success of Myles Higgins at the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, hosted in conjunction with Amy’s Gran Fondo from October 15-19 in Lorne on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
The Amy's Gran Fondo is named in honour of Amy Gillett, an Australian Olympic cyclist who was killed in 2005 when on a training ride in Germany. She was training with a group and was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries.
The event began in 2011 and is held each year on the Great Ocean Road, and this year’s event coincided with the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, attracting 4,000 age-group athletes from around the world. This was run in conjunction with a recreational ride of 121 kilometres over the same course.
Cobram Barooga Cycling Club president Raymond Jarratt, as well as members Wayde Foster, Craig Sloper, Dermot Nichols and Myles Higgins all attended the event, which began on Thursday, October 16, with a 22.7 kilometre time trial on an undulating course.