Port Hinchinbrook's massive dugong statue, weighing 700 kilograms, has been stolen for a second time in a well-planned heist that has left locals puzzled.

The $80,000 bronze statue, which has come to symbolise the north Queensland community, was taken some time in the past five days.

Police believe it was a cunning plan which had been hatched some time ago and involved lifting equipment.

The statue had originally been mounted at the entrance to Port Hinchinbrook, a gated community of Cardwell which was developed in the 1990s.

It was first taken in February last year and discovered in bushland by a hiker a few days later.

The culprits were never found.

It was returned to Port Hinchinbrook's caretaker and was kept in his front yard before it was nabbed again.

Senior Constable Scott Hayes said it was a well-executed theft.

"It's not the sort of thing you could put in the boot of your car or just thrown on the back of your ute," he said.

"The fact that it weighs so much leads us to think somebody's probably used some sort of piece of equipment, maybe some sort of lifting arm or a jack or possibly a small crane or forklift to lift it onto a trailer or a vehicle."

Resident Anne Mealing cannot understand why anyone would want to steal the dugong again.

"The only reason that somebody would steal would be to melt it down and sell it as scrap," she said.

"You can't put it anywhere, everybody would know what it was, it's a very distinctive statue.

"It's significant for the locals, it's been there since the beginning of the community.

"I think people have always enjoyed it."

Not the first statue mystery for north Queensland

Then and now: The Big Mango disappeared from its home at Bowen in north Queensland. ( Supplied: Tourism Bowen )

It is not the first time a big icon has gone missing in north Queensland.

Bowen lost its three-storey-high fibreglass mango a year ago, which had been moved from the tourist information centre.

The apparent theft attracted nationwide attention and a Facebook page set up to help search for it was shared thousands of times.

The tourist attraction was found the next day about 500 metres from where it went missing, tipped on its side and half covered up.

It turned out to be publicity stunt and a fast food chain admitted to doing the deed.