A six-metre "whale" being transported on the back of a truck through Brisbane has left plenty of motorists confused, and even caught the attention of police.

Spotted in East Brisbane this week, the realistic Hollywood prop was on its way to the dump — it had been given to Tangalooma Island Resort in 2015.

It had been used in the survival thriller film The Shallows, starring Blake Lively, which was shot at Lord Howe Island and Mount Tamborine.

Resort director Trevor Hassard said the three-tonne model drew a lot of attention at the time.

"The movie was a shark thriller like Jaws, and after they filmed it a few years ago they did ask us if we wanted it," he told ABC Radio Brisbane's Steve Austin.

"It's six metres and looked exactly like a whale, so we said we would take it and put it in our marine eco-centre.

"We do whale watching and since it looked so real, we thought we could use it."

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Movie gore too much to remove

The downside of the exchange was the amount of fake blood and movie gore still on the whale.

"When we got it delivered to bring it over to the island, it had too many shark marks all over it," Mr Hassard said.

"Since it was from a thriller movie, there was just too much blood hanging from it.

"We tried so many ways to have it fixed and we took chippies (carpenters) over there to see if they could cut it up or mount it on the wall or hang it from the roof in the eco-centre but it just didn't work."

The prop was on its way to the dump. ( Supplied: Adam Root )

He said the realistic nature of the whale could confuse people, with many taking photos of the prop on its journey to the tip.

"It's made out of a rubber compound and looks like a whale and feels like one," Mr Hassard said.

"I rang the tow truck driver when I started getting phone calls about it and asked him what he was doing with it.

"The tow driver said he didn't think anyone would think it was a real whale, but in hindsight though he probably should have put a tarp over it."

The whale played a role in the movie The Shallows. ( Supplied: The Shallows )

Tow truck trip leads to new role

When the owner of a scrap metal business in south-east Brisbane spotted the whale, he arranged to save it from the dump and give it a new role.

Manager Scott Dagg said his business had no links to marine life or the ocean — yet.

"We're going to use the whale as a landmark so people know where we are," he told ABC Radio Brisbane's Craig Zonca and Rebecca Levingston.

"We'll put it on the roof and create some attention."

Mr Dagg had seen the tow truck and whale parked on the side of the road.

The whale is now at the scrap metal yard waiting to be placed on the roof. ( Supplied: Scott Dagg )

When he discovered it was destined for the dump, he offered to give it a new home.

"We're going to recycle it, not as scrap metal but by using it as a prop again ... we have Free Willy in our yard right now."

He said with the new recycling program set to start in Queensland soon, the whale would make it easier for people to locate the premises.