Police are guarding a large and potentially hazardous mystery object that washed up on a remote West Australian beach.
Multiple state and federal agencies have been called in to help determine what the cylindrical piece of equipment is and where it came from.
The Australian Space Agency says the device, which appears to be partly made of a woven material, could be part of a foreign space vehicle.
The barnacle-encrusted and rusty object, which is about 2.5m high, was found on Sunday near Green Head, about 250km north of Perth.
It quickly drew a crowd of interested locals, with some posing for photos holding beers with the device before authorities arrived.
Police have cordoned off the mechanism, which some Reddit users speculate could be Indian space junk from an LVM3-M4 rocket.
"This measure has been taken to ensure the preservation of potential evidence and facilitate further expert examination," a police spokeswoman said on Monday.
The Australian Space Agency said it was contacting other international agencies in a bid to identify the device.
"The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information," it said in a tweet.
Authorities are treating the device as dangerous and the public has been urged to stay away.
"As the origin of the object is unknown, the community should avoid handling or attempting to move the object," the agency said.
Despite the lack of certainty about what the equipment is, authorities have ruled out an aviation link after suggestions it may have been part of an airliner.
"At this early stage it appears the object did not originate from a commercial aircraft," the police spokeswoman said.
"The investigation is ongoing and until further information is available, we urge everyone to refrain from drawing conclusions."
