eared on the sands of Sydney's famed Bondi and Coogee beaches.Initially thought to be tar balls, officials later said they could not be sure of the origin but they contained many substances including fatty acids, oils, human hair and bacteria. - AFP17:T799,

Australian authorities closed nine Sydney beaches on Tuesday after mysterious white and grey balls washed up along the coast.

Beaches closed until further notice included tourist hotspots Manly and Dee Why, the city's Northern Beaches Council said.

“So far, most samples identified are marble-sized with a few larger in size,” it said.

Last week two of Durban’s Umhlanga beaches - Main Beach and Bronze Beach - were closed when mysterious balls washed up. These were larger than the Sydney balls but the same grey-white colour. The beaches were reopened after cleaning teams cleared them.

Initially thought to be dog or human excrement, analysis showed they contained fats and were thought to be from local restaurants illegally discharging fats into the storm water drainage system. The eThekwini Municipailty is still investigating.

The Sydney local government said it was alerted to the debris by the Environment Protection Authority, and was helping the state agency to collect samples for testing.

“The council is organising the safe removal of the matter and is inspecting other beaches,” it said.

In October last year, spherical objects the size of golf balls appeared on the sands of Sydney's famed Bondi and Coogee beaches.

Initially thought to be tar balls, officials later said they could not be sure of the origin but they contained many substances including fatty acids, oils, human hair and bacteria. - AFP

More Durban beaches closed