Central Coast Council workers discovered the grey-coloured debris balls across several beaches and have begun testing to confirm their composition. Beachgoers have been advised to avoid The Entrance, Grant McBride baths, Blue Bay, Toowoon Bay, North Shelly, Shelly, and Blue Lagoon beaches “until further notice”. The council flagged it had collected samples and reported the sightings to the NSW Environment Protection Agency. “Further inspections and safe clean-up are under way,” the council said. “At this stage it is unknown what the material is or if they are related to the debris balls that washed up on Sydney beaches between October 2024-January 2025.” The thousands of black balls that flooded Sydney beaches late last year were found to have likely originated from the city’s sewage treatment system. Those debris balls contained a mixture of hair, waste cooking oil, faecal matter and hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are the main components of petroleum-based products and can be carcinogenic or poisonous. Central Coast Council has warned people to avoid touching the material and to report any sightings. “Council staff have progressed testing but have not yet identified the actual composition or source of the material. There is no evidence available at this stage to confirm the source of origin of these debris balls,” it said. “Debris balls washed ashore could be from a variety of sources or locations such as stormwater, sewerage networks, ships from local or international locations.”