Latest news with #Alkimos
West Australian
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Alkimos punter wins $300,000 after buying Scratch ‘n' Win ticket from The Lucky Charm Joondalup
A punter in Perth's northern suburbs is celebrating his luck after striking it rich while shopping for Christmas in July gifts. The Alkimos man and his wife walked out of the shops $300,000 better off after buying a Scratch 'n' Win ticket from The Lucky Charm Joondalup. But the man first had to convince his wife that they had won. 'I said to my wife, 'We've just won $300,000',' the man, aged in his 30s, said. 'She said, 'No, we have not'. I said. 'Yes, we have'. 'We were jumping for joy, cheering, almost crying. And everybody in the store was congratulating us.' The Lucky Charm Joondalup owner Parag Bhimjiyani said the excitement was infectious. 'The player was almost in tears,' he said. 'I gave him a hug. It's so special to be part of this big moment in someone's life. 'It's the first major prize my store has sold and hopefully the first of many.' The winning couple celebrated with a family dinner at their favourite restaurant. They plan to treat themselves to new computers to play their favourite video games. West Aussies have the chance to become a multimillionaire in Saturday's $30 million megadraw.
Perth Now
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Perth punter's Xmas in July surprise with winning scratchie
A punter in Perth's northern suburbs is celebrating his luck after striking it rich while shopping for Christmas in July gifts. The Alkimos man and his wife walked out of the shops $300,000 better off after buying a Scratch 'n' Win ticket from The Lucky Charm Joondalup. But the man first had to convince his wife that they had won. 'I said to my wife, 'We've just won $300,000',' the man, aged in his 30s, said. 'She said, 'No, we have not'. I said. 'Yes, we have'. 'We were jumping for joy, cheering, almost crying. And everybody in the store was congratulating us.' The Lucky Charm Joondalup owner Parag Bhimjiyani said the excitement was infectious. 'The player was almost in tears,' he said. 'I gave him a hug. It's so special to be part of this big moment in someone's life. 'It's the first major prize my store has sold and hopefully the first of many.' The winning couple celebrated with a family dinner at their favourite restaurant. They plan to treat themselves to new computers to play their favourite video games. West Aussies have the chance to become a multimillionaire in Saturday's $30 million megadraw.
Perth Now
04-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Relic from infamous WA shipwreck to get new home
It withstood war, treacherous seas, and decades of unfortunate events — now, a relic from one of WA's most infamous shipwrecks has dropped anchor in Wanneroo. The last surviving lifeboat from the SS Alkimos, which the nearby suburb takes its name from, has been acquired by the City of Wanneroo. The SS Alkimos, a merchant ship and former wartime transport vessel built in the US during World War II, met its fate along the WA coastline in 1964 after running aground while being towed. Your local paper, whenever you want it. Since then, the vessel has captured the imagination of both historians and locals, becoming a lasting symbol in WA's maritime history. The SS Alkimos in January 1964. Credit: Stan Perkins / Western Australian Museum Originating as the Viggo Hansteen under Norwegian ownership, the ship has long been associated with tragic events, including a fatal accident during construction that claimed several workers. A murder-suicide also occurred on board in 1944, further fuelling the local legends that surround the vessel and its legacy. The ship ran aground off New Zealand in 1952, was sold and renamed SS Alkimos in 1953, and after striking a reef near WA in 1963 it was towed for repairs but ultimately driven ashore again when its tug line snapped. In the 60 years since the ship ran aground, much of the SS Alkimos has been salvaged, while the unrelenting conditions of the Indian Ocean have worn down what's left, leaving little visible above the water. All that remains of the SS Alkimos wreck above water. Credit: Wanneroo Museum As time and these elements erode what remains of the ship — now resting about 410m offshore — efforts to preserve what was saved from the wreck have become increasingly significant. With the goal of preserving an important piece of WA and the city's maritime history, the City of Wanneroo acquired the lifeboat last week from a private owner who had cherished it for decades. City of Wanneroo Regional Museum curator Alana Part said the city hoped to create a special exhibition on the SS Alkimos, with the lifeboat as the centrepiece, after an assessment by a conservator to explore potential restoration work. 'We're very excited to have it in the collection and to be able to share it with the community,' Ms Part said. '(The lifeboat) helps us enrich the museum collection. It allows us to tell stories about the Alkimos with something really concrete that we didn't have before. 'In the future, there'll be people that ask questions when we can no longer see the Alkimos, and it's completely underwater. These will be the last remaining things we have from such an important shipwreck.' City of Wanneroo Regional Museum curator Alana Part with the lifeboat. Credit: City of Wanneroo Despite its age, Ms Part said the lifeboat was in a 'surprisingly good' condition. 'One of the things the owner said to us when we were acquiring it was that it's still seaworthy,' Ms Part said. 'We weren't expecting much because, obviously, knowing the state of the Alkimos and the fact that it's been exposed to elements, and it's been well used throughout the years, but it's actually been well looked after. 'It's about seven metres long and 2.5 metres wide, so it's pretty huge.' The lifeboat is said to be in surprisingly good condition and still seaworthy, despite its age. Credit: Supplied Given its history plagued by misfortune, the ship is considered by many to be cursed. In the years immediately after the SS Alkimos running aground, around 12 salvage attempts were made. All failed, with several fires breaking out during scrapping. Some divers reported hearing phantom footsteps onboard, and there were reports the skull of a missing swimmer was found lodged at the wreck site — despite the swimmer disappearing around 43km south of the ship. After the SS Alkimos ran aground, it was scrapped over the coming years. Credit: Wanneroo Community History Centre Ms Part said these legends were an important part of the ship's legacy and hopes they will be shared with future generations. 'Anyone who has had something to do with the SS Alkimos always has a story to tell, which we love about it. We document all of those, and I'm sure in a future exhibition we'll be able to explore some of them,' she said. 'The next step for us is we're going to be contacting the Australian National Maritime Museum to apply to have it registered on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.' Wanneroo mayor Linda Aitken said it was essential to protect this artifact for future generations and was excited to see how the lifeboat could help the community interpret the past and learn through history. 'It's wonderful to have secured the last surviving lifeboat from the SS Alkimos — an important piece of WA's maritime history and a link to the city's own coastal heritage,' Ms Aitken said. 'The preservation and future exhibition of the lifeboat will offer our community an opportunity to connect with the stories of our coastline, including the story of the SS Alkimos shipwreck.'
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
We quit the UK & for a huge house in sunny Australia – we have a cinema room, 2 spare bedrooms & our first ever garden
A WOMAN who ditched her life in the UK to move Down Under with her family has shown off her 'humungus' new home. The mum gave a tour around the spacious property and said they've got so much more for their money living in Western Australia. 4 This includes having many luxury amenities they never had before, including a cinema room, ensuite bathrooms, a garden and even a new sofa. She added that they are renting for now in Alkimos, which is a 30-minute drive outside of Perth. On her @ourbigaussieleap account, she said: 'Welcome to our new Aussie home! 'Come on in for a little tour — it's still a work in progress but we're slowly turning it into us. 'From UK chaos to WA calm… kind of. Grateful, excited, and already feeling at home in this next chapter.' The house tour began with their 'absolutely humongous' garage, and the mum said they had also never had one them before so doesn't know what to do with the space. Next up was her and husband Dan's large bedroom, which comes with an ensuite bathroom. She added: 'I've never had a walk-in wardrobe, so I'm so excited for that. 'It's absolutely huge so can't wait to fill that with loads of clothes when I go shopping.' Down the hallway was a utility room with a sink and space for a washing machine. The top 5 best countries to live in the world for quality of life One of the best rooms in the house was the 'cinema', although the UK-born mum wasn't sure they'd have much use of it. She explained: 'They class it as like a cinema room, but we don't really know what to do with this room right now, so it's just an empty space.' The Aussie home's best feature was the large open plan kitchen/living area - which they had so far added a large sofa to. 4 The mum continued: 'Managed to pick up a sofa, brand new, so that is a huge sofa. 'Again, never had a brand new sofa, so I'm so excited. It's just amazing to lounge on.' The space is so large that the mum said she may add a dining room table as she wasn't sure how else to fill it. The property also has a separate bedroom for their son, a guest room, and another spare room that they may turn into a playroom. Next, she showed their outdoor space which she hugely appreciates. She shared: 'We've never had a garden either, so it just feels amazing to have all this outside space. 'Absolutely excited for a washing line. Never had a washing line either. 'It's the simple things in life, isn't it, as an adult, that gets you very excited.' The mum shared how they managed to emigrate to Australia under a 190 Skilled Nominated Permanent Residency visa as a family of three, with engineer husband Dan working as a plumber. She added: 'We've never even been to Australia before (yep… call us bold), but we're ready to embrace the sunshine, space, and a fresh start for our little family.' People were quick to reply to her video, with one saying: 'Lovely house, you'll soon get used to the space, lol!' Another added: 'looks amazing.... so much room.' Towns with year-round sunshine offering workers £80,000 a year to move there TOWNS with year-round sunshine are offering workers £80,000 a year to move there - plus free food and accommodation. The promotion is designed to attract " fly-in, fly-out" (FIFO) workers to the area - where a key sector is experiencing a significant staff shortage. The offer is open to those working in childcare to relocate to one of a set of remote settlements in Western Australia. The towns of Pilbara, Gascoyne, Kimberley and Goldfields are home to a large mining community, working long hours to extract vital metals like iron ore and lithium from the rocky landscape. Many of the workers there have young families, leading to a huge demand in the area for childcare. FIFO carers work on a two weeks on, two weeks off basis and, as the acronym suggests, can fly in from the surrounding area to complete their residency. And accommodation and meals will be provided while on the job - in addition to the pay. Depending on qualifications, the programme is offering salaries of up to £80,000 (AU$150,000) in a desperate bid to attract workers.
