Mysterious wrecking balls close 9 beaches in Sydney, Australia
Still, small ball-shaped debris washed up on Sydney’s shores. AustraliaIt’s forcing beaches in nine areas to close while experts try to figure out what they are and where they came from.
The gray and white balls, most about the size of marbles, come months after the mysterious black balls washed up, prompting the closure of eight beaches in October. When authorities tested the balls, they determined they were the result of a sewage leak.
Now Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins says last balls “anything can happen.”
“We don’t know what it is at the moment and that makes it even more disturbing,” he told The Guardian.
Most litter balls are about the size of a marble.
Presentation / Northern Beaches Council
“There’s obviously something leaking or falling … floating in there and being thrown around.”
In a statement, the Northern Beaches council said it was working with the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). clear the cannabis balls and send them for testing.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
Meanwhile, they advised beachgoers to avoid Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen beaches until further notice.
According to the BBC, the debris washed up in October was widely reported “tar balls” but tests have found they contain everything from pesticides and hair to cooking oils, soap suds, veterinary drugs, methamphetamine, and more.
Last October, several beaches, including the iconic Bondi in Sydney’s east, were closed after thousands of black balls were spotted on the shores.
Presentation / Northern Beaches Council
Scientists have said that they are similar to grease, oil and oil stains – it is often said fatberg — usually formed in sewage systems from man-made waste and can form when substances clump together and stick together.
The EPA advised the public not to handle trash balls and to report them when found.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
English