POLICE are renewing an appeal for help to find a Newcastle man who has gone missing from western NSW.
Detectives established Strike Force Yurinigh in March 2022 to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of James Hunter.
Mr Hunter, now aged 54, lived in Tighes Hill and travelled to the state's west for work - including at rural properties in Dubbo, Mendooran and Dunedoo.
He was also known to frequent Walgett and Lightning Ridge, where he would mine for opals.
Mr Hunter maintained contact with family members, who last saw him in person in December 2019, when he was in the Newcastle area.
After failing to make contact with his family for several months, he was reported missing in July 2021.
Numerous searches and police inquiries have failed to find him.
Police have established that Mr Hunter was last seen at a pharmacy on Macquarie Street in Dubbo on February 28, 2020. He has not accessed his bank accounts since then.
In March 2022, his vehicle - a blue 2005 Toyota Hilux utility - was found on a property he was working at in Mendooran, and it was seized for forensic examination.
Police and family continue to hold concerns for Mr Hunter's welfare and are renewing their appeal to the community to come forward with any information that may assist detectives with their ongoing investigations.
Mr Hunter is described as being Caucasian in appearance, about 175cm tall, and of a medium build with brown hair and eyes.
- Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
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