The golf-ball-size debris that led to beach closures across the Australian city was not tar balls as first thought, but was instead made up of decomposed cooking oils, hair and food waste.

The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) first warned Sydney residents to avoid swimming or touching the balls on October 17, after they were spotted at seven beaches including the city’s famed Bondi Beach. At that stage their contents ...

The black balls spotted on Sydney beaches are comprised of "fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons, and other organic and inorganic materials," the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) announced on Wednesday in a news release.

Thousands of mysterious blobs that closed several Sydney beaches last month have been revealed to contain materials “consistent with human generated waste”, scientists at the University of New South Wales said on 6.

The balls had a firm surface - hardened partially by accumulating sand and minerals like calcium - and a soft core. Inside was everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules,

Disgusting’ black balls which washed up on multiple Australian beaches have been identified as an odd concoction of substances. Last month, beaches in Sydney were closed as authorities looked into the bizarre black balls which washed onshore.