Lost UK tourist trekked 40km across Melbourne to return to his family

An autistic tourist who went missing from a Melbourne beach spent the next 24 hours trekking 40km across the city to his sister's house.

UK tourist Benjamin Wyatt went missing in Black Rock, in Melbourne's southeast, on Tuesday afternoon.

A widescale land, air and water search then ensued as the 34-year-old's family made an emotional plea to the media.

But while the search was going on, Mr Wyatt made his way across the city on foot and in a bus, navigating some 40km back to his sister's house in Doncaster.

"I was just enjoying Melbourne, it's very big,'' Mr Wyatt told reporters in Melbourne today.

"I wasn't scared or anything. I did have a good trip and I saw all the sights as well."

He returned back to the house just before 8pm yesterday, 30 hours after he disappeared.

Mr Wyatt's father Phil thanked emergency services and the people of Melbourne for all their help in trying to find his son.

"We are so relieved to have Ben back,'' he said.

"We had only been four days in Melbourne and during that time we had pointed out all the local landmarks to Ben as we had been travelling around.

"We think from that he was able to make his own way back."

The family are due to fly back to the UK later today.