Bowen's Big Mango heist a hoax, revealed to be marketing stunt

Call off the search - the North Queensland town of Bowen's famous Big Mango has been found, and it was all a ruse.

The 10 metre high fibreglass Big Mango went missing in Bowen yesterday (photo courtesy of the Big Mango Facebook page).

The mysterious overnight disappearance of the Big Mango in the town of Bowen, north Queensland, has been revealed to have been an elaborate marketing stunt.

Burger chain Nando's has claimed responsibility for the 'heist' of the 10-tonne giant fibreglass fruit, which went missing from the town's tourist information centre yesterday.

'Thank you Bowen. Your Big Mango is in safe hands (very, very big hands),' the fast food joint wrote on it's Facebook page today.

'We confess, we borrowed your Big Mango. But we’ve got big plans for it and promise to return it safely…soon (ish)'

On Tuesday morning, Bowen resident Bob told ABC Radio North Queensland that the Big Mango had been found behind the tourist centre, covered with a tarpaulin and branches.