Mystery object washed up on NSW beach baffles locals
A mysterious object has washed up on a northern New South Wales beach and leaving locals questioning what it could be.
Ken Miles, 67, walks along Airforce Beach, Evans Head every morning but on Monday, at about 10am, he came across something he's never seen before washed up on the sand.
"It was made out of pieces of PVC piping and wrapped in black plastic," Mr Miles told Yahoo7.
"It had a little dome, which was really burnt out and fogged with the word 'Falcon' printed on it.
"It's got electrical wiring inside the PVC piping - similar to what electricians do putting the wires through small tubes."
Mr Miles added the piping had been "lashed together" by two pieces of rope and he'd "never seen anything like it before". He has no idea how old it is either, but added "it's not ancient".
The retiree thought some kids might have been playing a prank on him, but nonetheless, snapped a few photos of the device and sent them off to the local paper.
Mr Miles has been living in the area since 1965, and said, "we'd be here until tomorrow" if asked about how many "weird things" he's found on the stretch between Airforce Beach and the Broadwater National Park.
"It's a very mysterious place," he said.
But this particular find is one, which has captured the town's imagination. The 67-year-old said local radio and the paper have been asking him about the bizarre device.
"It's bloody interesting," Mr Miles said.
"Some people think it's been dropped from a UFO."
He said he spoke to a local fishing expert, Tony Zann, about what the object is and he may have an answer.
"It's apparently an FAD or a fish aggregating device," Mr Miles said.
"Tony said you drop them further out from the beach to attract fish and then use a long line of plastic or a net to catch them.
"They're pretty cheap to make - you can just buy most of the equipment from Bunnings. I'd say the only expensive part is the dome with the electronic parts inside."
He added there was now another mystery to be solved - after a walk on Tuesday morning he found the device had disappeared.
FADs are used to attract tuna, marlin and dolphin fish. They are normally tethered to the bottom of the ocean with floats attached.
According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, many of them are strategically placed along the coast line. There's one reported to be at Evans Head at a depth of 50 metres with 30 in total registered in the state.
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They were first used by Fisheries NSW in the 1980s, and the department investigated new designs in 2001 with the introduction of recreational fishing licences.
A DPI spokesperson said "it's difficult to confirm" what the object is from the pictures, but it is not a a NSW DPI fish aggravating device.
"It may be a piece of a yacht's boom or related sail equipment," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Fishers are encouraged to report lost or damaged FADs at DPI on (02) 4424 7421.
