A man who went missing for 28 days in far north Queensland survived on butterflies, freshwater mussels and fruit, police say.

Stephen Currie was lost for 28 days. 

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Stephen Currie, who endured daily temperatures of almost 40C, was found shirtless, shoeless and 15kg lighter by locals on a remote track about 10km outside the former mining town of Chillagoe on Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities had given up on the 40-year-old and had called off the search for him three weeks ago.

Mr Currie, described as "a bit of a loner," according to the Courier-Mail, had left his caravan around 8.30am on December 29 and walked towards the town's industrial area.

He later told police he became disoriented in bushland and lost his way. When he tried to follow a river back into town, he became lost again.

The disappearance sparked an extensive air and land search of the rugged terrain, including the area's mineshafts and caves.

"By all money I thought he was gone,'' Mareeba police Det Sen-Constable Vince Marcel was quoted as saying.

"It's unbelievable."

Sen-Constable Marcel said Mr Currie slept in sand covered with paper bark and stayed close to a local river for food and water.

"Each day he would go for a walk and see if he found a track and eventually he was found by one of the locals out on one.

"He just had a pair of shorts on — no shoes, no hat, no provisions.''

Sen-Constable Marcel said that Mr Currie's family, who live in Victoria and have been phoning police every few days for updates, were thrilled to hear the good news.