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Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.

The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline 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.

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

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

In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.

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

State Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

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

Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defense Stance

"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire 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 police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.

The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.