UPDATE: Retired grandparents big plans after $70m lotto win

THE retired Hervey Bay grandparents who won the $70 million are looking forward to helping family, giving to charity and travel after their hugely lucky win.

The $70 million Powerball jackpot was record-breaking, being the largest win on a single ticket in Powerball history.

UPDATE: The retired Hervey  Bay grandparents who won the $70 million are looking forward to helping family, giving to charity and travel after their hugely lucky win.

"We've always been mindful of money, and skimped and saved where we could. We don't get tempted to buy the cream puffs," one of the new winners said.

The couple have chosen to remain anonymous but spoke a little about their plans for the nation's largest ever single ticket lottery win.

"It won't be wasted. We'll be helping our family and giving to a few charities close to our hearts," she said.
The pair plan to do some travel soon.

"We'll just have to wait until Europe and the USA warm up a bit."

While the winners are keeping their lips tightly sealed, the newsagent which sold the ticket is getting ready to crack open the champagne.

NewsXpress Eli Waters owner Allan Wickham said he could hardly believe the news when he first got the call.
"I thought it was a gee up really because I'm known to play a practical joke or two," he said.

At the newsagents, some customers were aware of the big windfall while others were excited when they heard the news.

Mr Wickham said he and his wife Stella, who runs the store, are hoping to "crack some ales" to celebrate their luck.

It is the second time the store has sold a Division One ticket in the past decade.

UPDATE: A couple from the Hervey Bay region woke this morning to the staggering news that their 6-game entry in last night's $70 million Powerball draw had scooped the entire jackpot prize pool.

The newly minted multi-millionaires were waiting by the phone for a call from Golden Casket early this morning while the life-changing realisation started to sink in.
 
"It's absolutely breath-taking, it's wonderful, we've both got the shakes," the winning husband said.
 
"I had six missed calls on my phone late last night and I thought who would phone that many times at that hour. I thought it couldn't possibly be Golden Casket, but I got out my tablet to check my numbers online this morning and I was all thumbs. If I checked it once, I checked it a thousand times."
 
The winning couple, who wish to remain anonymous, said they never considered themselves 'lucky' people before now.
 
"The best thing we've ever won is the odd chook raffle," they laughed.

EARLIER: The sole winner of the $70 million Powerball jackpot has yet to claim the enormous prize.

The division one winning Powerball entry was registered to a player's card however Tatts Lotteries was unable to get in contact with the winner following last night's draw to break the life-changing news to them.

Queensland hopefuls should wait by their phones as Tatts Lotteries will continue to attempt to get in touch with the registered winner today.

Customers who purchased a registered Powerball entry in Queensland are encouraged to check their tickets as soon as possible to discover whether they are the country's largest Powerball multi-millionaire.

Tatts Lotteries spokesperson Elissa Lewis said the $70 million Powerball jackpot was record-breaking, being the largest win on a single ticket in Powerball history

"The standing record for the largest Powerball win claimed by a single entry in Australia was set in 2008 when one ticket purchased in Melbourne won $58.7 million in Powerball draw 629," Ms Lewis explained.

"It has also equalled the largest lotto win ever by a single ticket which was set in December 2013 when a ticket purchased on the Gold Coast won $70 million in Oz Lotto."

Along with the huge jackpot prize more than 1.3 million prizes were won across Australia in divisions two to eight, sharing in a total prize pool of $29.2 million.

The winning numbers in Powerball's $70 million draw 1025 on Thursday 7 January 2016 were 18, 23, 34, 14, 4 and 20. The Powerball number was 18.

Powerball will offer a $3 million division one prize in next week's draw.

Originally published as UPDATE: Retired grandparents big plans after $70m lotto win