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Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.

Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.

He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the prosecution said.

State Case

It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.

The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.