Nathan Edwards, 20, was arrested by officers attached to the Hume Local Area Command after being located in the township of Taralga about 7.50am yesterday.

He was taken to Goulburn Police Station, and was charged with escape lawful custody, break enter and steal, take and drive conveyance, and drive while unlicensed.

He was last seen about an hour earlier.

Police believed he may have been heading south to the Wollongong area and it is believed his arrest came after a tip-off from a member of the public.

Monday afternoon’s escape took the number to at least five in the past 12 months from the minimum security jail.

Two men who escaped on December 8 last year were later recaptured in Goulburn.

They were followed by separate escapes on December 18 and February 8. At the time of the fourth escape, a spokesperson for Corrective Services said inmates would be subjected to stricter controls.

Oberon Correctional Centre, located at Shooters Hill within the remote Gurnang State Forest, is a minimum security centre for young male offenders who undertake rehabilitation programs and reforestation work off-site.

All inmates must be classified as minimum security and have demonstrated suitability for placement at the centre. Many inmates have entered the final stages of their sentences.