A prisoner who allegedly escaped from a NSW jail in 1992 has turned himself in after almost 30 years on the run.

Darko Desic was 35 when he allegedly used bolt cutters to break out of a jail in Grafton on the state's north coast during the night of July 31, 1992.

The next time police heard from him was on Sunday, when the now-64-year-old walked into Dee Why Police Station on Sydney's northern beaches.

The former fugitive had run out of work and become homeless, a police source said.

"(He) handed himself in to get a roof over his head," the source, who declined to be named, said.

Desic was jailed in 1990 for drug supply, serving 19 months of a 33-month minimum term until his escape, allegedly done with a hacksaw blade and bolt cutters.

Police have charged him with escaping from lawful custody and a magistrate remanded him in custody on Tuesday at Central Local Court.

Desic is due to enter a plea to the prison escape charge on September 28.

He's also to serve out the remainder of his original sentence. His earliest parole date is November 1 next year, with his full term running until September 30, 2023.