Australia's last Aboriginal police tracker employed solely for the role has died.

Barry Port was a legend in Far North Queensland, particularly at Coen in Cape York, where the town's public bar is named in his honour.

Mr Port, who would comb the Cape's harsh terrain for criminal, traffic and missing persons cases, hung up his hat several years ago to enjoy fishing on the Coen River.

Aged in his 70s, he died at home on Wednesday night from a heart condition.

"Dignified, humble, caring — such a rare kind of gentleman," Dianne MacDonald wrote on social media.

"The world has lost a beautiful soul."

Duane Port said his grandfather would be "deeply missed" and that his death had come as a shock.

Life of a bush tracker

The quietly-spoken Lama Lama elder learnt traditional bush skills from his father, who learnt from his father before him.

They did not own a car so they would hunt on foot and look for fresh tracks from pigs.

Commissioner Ian Stewart presented a meritorious service award to Barry Port in 2013. ( Supplied )

Mr Port's tracking ability and bush skills caught the attention of police in 1980.

He was signed up and would spend more than 30 years pursuing drug dealers, escaped prisoners and cattle rustlers.

"We'd go out looking for drugs, people camping in the bush who had set up big plantations, and once we found it we'd destroy it all," Mr Port told the ABC in 2018.

"You could follow their footsteps through the scrub, they'd make a bit of a track to their crop.

"It was a pretty dangerous job — the dealers, they've got guns and knives and you'd have to be very careful."

Mr Port's funeral will be held later this month.