Mystery balls close Sydney beaches, spark investigation
On Tuesday, January 14, nine beaches in Sydney were closed to swimmers due to mysterious balls washing ashore. Local authorities are already trying to determine the origin of these unknown findings.
Ocean beaches in Sydney, renowned worldwide for their golden sand and clear water, have become a point of interest, primarily for local authorities and researchers in addition to tourists.
Mysterious balls on Australia's beaches
The Northern Beaches Council issued warnings and closed 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 persist "until further notice," likely until the origin of these mysterious findings is determined, what they are, and 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 working 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 so far resemble small pieces of marble, although a few balls are larger than others. All of them are either white or gray.
CNN reminds us that a similar situation occurred in Australia a few months ago. At that time, larger, dark balls were found on Sydney's eastern beaches. Subsequent investigations revealed that they were formed from fatty acids and chemicals, likely originating from sewage. Authorities assured, however, that there were no malfunctions at the city’s treatment plants at that time.
