Nine Sydney beaches closed as mysterious objects wash ashore
On Tuesday, 14th January, nine beaches in Sydney were closed to swimmers due to mysterious balls washing ashore. Local authorities have already taken measures to identify these objects of unknown origin.
Ocean beaches in Sydney, renowned worldwide for their golden sand and clear waters, have attracted interest not only from tourists but also from local authorities and researchers.
Mysterious balls on Australia's beaches
The Northern Beaches Council decided to issue warnings and close the beaches of Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne, and North Narrabeen to swimmers. This situation is expected to continue "until further notice," likely until the source and nature of these mysterious findings are identified and it is determined whether they pose any danger to people.
“At the moment, we don't know what it is, which makes the discovery even more disturbing,” said Sue Heins, Head of the Northern Beaches Council.
Investigations underway to determine the origin of discoveries
In a released statement, the Northern Beaches Council reported that they are collaborating with the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to clean the beaches and send the mysterious balls for testing to determine their composition and origin.
It was noted that most samples identified thus far resemble small pieces of marble, although a few are larger than the others. All of them are white or grey in colour.
CNN reminds us that a similar situation occurred in Australia a few months ago. At that time, larger, dark balls were found on the eastern beaches of Sydney. Subsequent investigations revealed that they were formed from fatty acids and chemicals, likely originating from sewage. However, authorities assured that there were no malfunctions at the city’s treatment plants at that time.
