Man faked death to become cafe worker

A NSW man faked his own death and has been living in north Queensland under a pseudonym, a coroner has found.

Matthew Shirvington, 28, has been missing for almost a year after a suicide note was found inside his abandoned car at Moruya Airport on the NSW South Coast.

The note, simply saying "I'm sorry", was found among empty beer and vodka bottles in his car, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

But an inquest into his death was cancelled after a former school friend spotted him working in a café at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays.

The schoolmate called out to Mr Shirvington but he fled and never returned to the café.

The café owner said Mr Shirvington had been working there under the name Charlie Thompson.

Police and his family are urging him to let someone know he is alive, stating that he has not done anything wrong and does not need to reveal where he is.