As Sandgropers across Perth feverishly checked their Lottery tickets during the search for a mystery winner, one FIFO rigger remained on a remote site completely unaware he was $200,000 richer..

After weeks of mystery surrounding the first West Australian to win the upgraded Set For Life windfall, a man from Perth’s south has come forward as the sole winner of the jackpot.

The major win has scored the Melville punter a cushy $200,000, as well as monthly payments of $20,000 for the next two decades.

Speaking from the Lotterywest Winner’s Room, the FIFO worker revealed that he had been away on a remote mine site when he first learnt of a big winner in the October 3 draw.

“I did hear on the radio that a ticket from Melville had won and I wondered for a moment if it was me,” the 60-year-old said.

With the punter in the midst of a swing, he was forced to put the potential jackpot in the back of his mind until he landed in Perth weeks later — when he immediately made the trip to a newsagency with the ticket.

“I went back to Melville Newspower to check the ticket and when the staff member said to come to the back of the store, I thought ‘Am I in trouble’?” he recalled.

When staff shared the joyous news that the 60-year-old’s ticket had scored him the top prize, the FIFO rigger revealed he had cried happy tears.

“I just couldn’t believe it was true,” he said.

The WA-first windfall has given the rigger, who has worked FIFO for more than three decades, a chance to finally pursue his dreams of seeing Australia’s most scenic destinations.

The 60-year-old revealed he intends to use the upfront $200,000 payment to buy a home near the water.

As for the next two decades of winnings, the rigger hopes to purchase a caravan so he can travel the nation on his terms after years of FIFO flights over red dirt.

He won’t be hanging up the hi-vis for good, however — with the punter revealing he will continue working and plans to hire a financial advisor to help him manage the winnings.

Lotterywest spokeswoman Nikki Wilson-Smith said the punter was just one of many Sandgropers who preferred Set For Life games for their ongoing payments.

“Players like him have told us they love the idea of a prize paid overtime but they also wanted the flexibility of an upfront payment to help make their dreams happen sooner,” she said.

The reveal comes just four days after another West Aussie scored a life-changing prize in the Saturday Lotto, pocketing $1.11m from the draw.