Sydney’s Coogee Beach has closed for investigation after hundreds of mysterious black, golf ball-sized spheres washed up on the shore.  

Randwick City Council announced that the popular swimming spot will be closed “until further notice” after a council lifeguard discovered the objects on Tuesday afternoon.  

Environmental Protection Authority and Beachwatch NSW have been informed of the incident and are now working on uncovering the origins and composition of the objects. At this stage there is no clear identification of what the black, ball-shaped debris is, however, Mayor Dylan Parker suspects they may be “tar balls”.  

“[They are] dark ball-shaped objects which occur when they’re in rough seas and when oil comes into contact with debris or water and is typically the result of oil spills or seepage,” he told ABC News Breakfast.  

He advises that people do “not touch them”, because if they are made of oil, they can be carcinogenic. But he is unaware of any recent, nearby oil spills.  

Nearby beaches are also being inspected for the puzzling debris, but for now Coogee Beach is the only known beach to be affected.  

The mayor said that nothing like this has happened before in the area.  

“This is the first time that an incident such as this that we’re aware of has happened in the Randwick council area,” he said. 

While the council is working on clearing the beach of these unusual objects, beach goers are advised to stay clear of the area until authorities say it is safe to reopen.  

Photo: Coogee (New South Wales) by Wm is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.