Mysterious spheres prompt beach closures in Sydney
On Tuesday, January 14, nine beaches in Sydney were closed to swimmers due to mysterious balls washing ashore. Local authorities are already working to determine the origin of these findings.
Sydney's ocean beaches, renowned globally for their golden sand and clear waters, have piqued the interest of tourists, local authorities, and researchers.
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 closure is expected to remain "until further notice," likely until the mysterious items' origins, nature, and potential danger to people are determined.
“At the moment, we don't know what it is, which makes the discovery even more disturbing,” stated Sue Heins, Head of the Northern Beaches Council.
Investigations underway to determine the origin of discoveries
The Northern Beaches Council announced 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.
They noted that most samples identified so far resemble small pieces of marble, although some balls are larger than others. All appear white or grey.
CNN reminds us that a similar situation occurred in Australia a few months ago when larger, dark balls were found on Sydney's eastern beaches. Further investigations revealed they were formed from fatty acids and chemicals, likely originating from sewage. Authorities, however, assured there were no malfunctions at the city’s treatment plants at that time.
