Ol Mate's gone missing again

The saga continues for the Ol Mate Fisherman statue with a check by Newsport late Tuesday of the location where it was reportedly discarded revealing it missing once more.

The artwork's creator also remains a mystery, which has even fuelled speculation famous creator Banksy could be involved in the works.

Pulled down from his rocky outcrop about 5km south of Wangetti on Captain Cook Highway overnight on Wednesday February 12, the creation was dumped in a roadside ditch just 100m from where he stood delighting travellers.

It is believed Ol Mate was found sometime on Monday, photographs being sent to Newsport that night along with a suggestion that the artwork had been taken away, hopefully to be restored.

A chair which was added to the original installation remained in the ditch where the artwork had been dumped.

Meanwhile, theories are playing out online:

"What if Cairns is home to an anonymous artistic mastermind — someone using everyday locations and forgotten landscapes to tell a bigger story?" Suggests a post pushing Cairns as the home of such a creative mastermind.

"For years, the Caravonica Pirate Ship has been a silent, eerie landmark, resting in the fields near Kamerunga Road, appearing almost shipwrecked in the sugarcane. Nobody knows who maintains it, but locals have quietly admired its presence.

"Then, out of nowhere, the mysterious Fisherman appeared on a rocky outcrop south of Wangetti — a strikingly human figure, casting his line into the ocean, minding his own business… until he vanished without a trace."