By Alasdair Pal and Jill Gralow
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Sydney beaches, including the iconic Bondi, were closed to bathers on Thursday after hundreds of black balls believed to be toxic washed up on the city’s shores.
Waverley Council said it had closed Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches as a precaution, while neighboring Randwick Council closed a further four beaches to the south. Bondi and Maroubra Beach in the south later reopened.
“The well-being of our community is paramount. That is why Council has taken the precaution of closing our beaches,” Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said in a statement.
Preliminary testing by Randwick Council suggests the mystery objects were ‘tar balls’ – lumps of oil and debris.
“We have so much pollution in the atmosphere, so much pollution on boats, so much pollution, plastic, it’s going to get to our beaches, everywhere else in the world it’s unfortunate,” said Monica O’Connell, a resident of Coogee, one of the beaches, closed by Randwick Council.
The NSW state Environment Agency said it was conducting its own tests, advising against swimming near or touching any of the balls.
Sydney is home to over 100 beaches in its harbor and oceanfront that are world famous and attract millions of tourists and locals every year.
