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Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Scene Details

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.

Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.

No murder weapon was found, and no one have been identified.

But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.

The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.

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

Defense Stance

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.