There's a spectacular speckled cloud pattern over the Tasman Sea this Friday, and it holds plenty of good news for those hoping for clear weekend weather on Australia's east coast.

See how the cloud over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand looks a little like fish scales – as captured by the BoM's Himawari-8 weather satellite almost 36 kilometres above the Earth?

As Weatherzone explains, the speckled pattern occurs when very cold air moves over a relatively warm area of ocean.

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The temperature contrast between the cool air and warmer water causes a large number of individual cumulus clouds to develop over a broad area, punctuated by patches of clear sky in between.

The mix of moisture-laden cumulus clouds and clear sky generates the speckled pattern.

Interestingly, the classic four-seasons-in-a-day weather variability for which Melbourne is famous inevitably occurs when there's a speckled cloud mass overhead.

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Rapid weather changes are less common in Sydney, where the weather is generally relentlessly rainy or sunny for days on end, and speckled air masses are less common.

But Sydney has felt quite Melbourne-like this week with its on-and-off showers, as the Tasman Sea speckled air mass pushes frequent showers onto the NSW coast, as you can see in the Weatherzone loop above.

The good news for Australians on the east coast is that the speckled cloud mass in the Tasman Sea should become New Zealand's problem this weekend, with a clearing pattern on the east coast and all eight Australian capital cities likely to see fine or mostly fine weather.

Queensland residents are on edge as challenging conditions test firefighters battling some of the more than 60 fires currently burning across the state.

This afternoon fire authorities issued evacuation orders for residents in Shellytop Road at Durong, Moonie near Dalby, Tara and parts of Wieambilla.

Meanwhile, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) has warned residents in eight communities to prepare to leave including those in parts of Durong, Carnarvon Gorge, Buckland, Rewan, Kogan, parts of Wieambilla, Breakaway at Mount Isa and Lowmead near Miriam Vale.

As the situation is constantly changing, stay up to date with warnings and alerts at the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services website.

"With the extreme fire dangers that we've had today, particularly across the western parts of the state, that's put pressure on a number of the containment lines," Queensland Rural Fire Service Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Hollier said.

Gusty wind conditions have made conditions difficult for firefighters tackling a blaze in Tara, while crews will work into the night to establish containment lines on the Moonie fire.

There are several fires burning in the Mount Isa area, with a blaze to the north and another to the north-west causing particular concern for fire crews preparing to work well into the night.

The Carnarvon Gorge fire in the south of the state is a large fire, particularly to the northern end of the blaze, with wind conditions putting pressure on crews.

Firefighters have held the containment lines of the Halliford fire near Dalby but crews will continue to work to make sure it is controlled.

There have also been new outbreaks at Midge Point near Prosperpine and Lowmead near Miriam Vale this afternoon.

Conditions are easing in the south-east of the state with spasmodic rain and firefighters are taking the opportunity to get these blazes under control.

It comes after 32 homes and 17 sheds and other buildings were destroyed after fires at Tara in recent days.

The blaze covers an area of 20,000 hectares.

As the situation continues, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) has extended a local fire ban for south-western region residents until midnight tonight.

The initial fire ban was imposed on Tuesday for residents in the Toowoomba, Southern Downs, Western Downs, Goondiwindi, Maranoa and Balonne Local Government Areas.

"Current fire conditions are perfect for bushfires to ignite and spread quickly," a QFES spokesperson said.

"Under a local fire ban all open fires are prohibited and all Permits to Light Fire which have been issued in the designated areas have been suspended for the duration of the ban.

"Power tools may be used during a local fire ban however QFES encourages people to use these with extreme care and ensure adequate equipment is available to extinguish any fire which may start.

"This may include having a person available to watch out for any ignitions that occur."

An elderly man accused of murdering a Perth mother more than 37 years ago has faced court.

Sharon Fulton, 39, was last seen alive on March 18, 1986 waiting for a train and has not made contact with family or friends.

The 77-year-old man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was charged with the mother of four's wilful murder on that date.

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He briefly appeared in Perth Magistrates Court via video link on Friday.

There was no application for bail and the matter was adjourned.

He is scheduled to reappear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on November 22.

West Australian police offered a $1 million reward in May for information leading to a conviction in the case.

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A man who spent 12 years behind bars for a murder he was not present for has been released from a Northern Territory prison.

Indigenous man Zak Grieve was handed a life sentence in 2013 for the murder of Ray Niceforo, with a non-parole period of 20 years.

Grieve applied for a mercy plea in 2018 and his sentence was subsequently cut by eight years.

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Bronwyn Buttery and her son Christopher Malyschko were also charged in relation to the murder of Niceforo.

Buttery was in a relationship with Niceforo, who the judge found was a "very frightening individual" who had physically abused her.

Buttery paid for the murder, was found guilty of manslaughter, and was given an eight-year jail term with a minimum of four years, while Malyschko was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 years.

Malyschko and Darren Halfpenny – who earlier pleaded guilty – attacked Niceforo in his flat where Malyschko bludgeoned him to death with a spanner while Halfpenny held him in a headlock.

The judge found Grieve had decided to pull out of the murder plans at the last minute but did not actively try to prevent the death and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

"I take no pleasure in this outcome," Justice Dean Mildren said in 2013 of the harsher sentence meted out to Grieve, who was not present during the murder.

"It is the fault of mandatory minimum sentencing provisions which inevitably bring about injustice."

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Grieve was 19 when he was charged and his story made international headlines, culminating in a documentary series and several books.

His release on Friday has sparked renewed calls for a review of the NT's mandatory sentencing laws.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the government is not planning on changing the laws.

"It's not a loophole, it's the law as it stands in the Northern Territory," Fyles told reporters today.

"There are some crimes where the community expectation is that there is a minimum mandatory period of incarceration, and I don't have intentions of changing that."

Grieve's mother, Glenice Grieve, wrote to the NT Law Reform Commission in 2020 pleading for her son's release.

"Everyone can see mandatory sentencing is wrong," she said.

"Mandatory sentencing means so many people with my skin colour are in prison.

"His life sentence was a big blow to all of us, such a huge punch, that I don't think we ever recovered."

14-year-old Rawinia was last seen in the Whangārei area on October 17.

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Police are still hunting who was responsible for the violent death of Wellington toddler.

A neo-Nazi group leader who admitted attacking a group of hikers in a Victorian state park now claims he's innocent of the charges and that he was the real victim.

Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant were both convicted on Friday after pleading guilty to a violent affray in the Cathedral Ranges State Park in May 2021.

They were among a group of far-right National Socialist Network and European Australian Movement members who set upon a group of friends hiking in the national park.

But outside the Victorian County Court, where he was sentenced to one month and seven days of prison time already served, Sewell claimed the organisations had always been respectful to members of the public.

There are two sides to every story, he said, claiming he and two other young members of the organisations had been run over by the group of friends first.

"We have behaved honourably at all times," he said.

"We are a law-abiding organisation, we're looking for political change in this country and we're not looking to harm or hurt anyone."

Judge Kellie Blair said Sewell, now 30, was leader of the European Australian Movement at the time, while Hersant, now 24, led the National Socialist Network.

Despite pleading guilty to violent affray charges, Sewell told reporters outside court that they were not guilty and had been forced to accept a deal that would keep their prison time to a minimum because police had refused to provide some of the evidence against them.

He denied that there were knives involved in the incident, claiming it was a fabrication by hostile witnesses.

"There's no way these gay, Jewish, communist witnesses are going to be reasonable," he said.

"They're going to exacerbate, and they're anti-fascist so they've got a political motivation to make false accusations."

He also claimed the group was not violent but when asked about Hersant's previous conviction for assaulting a security guard, said the judge in that case was "politically motivated".

Sewell was joined by supporters outside the hearing, including one who shouted "Australia for the white man" and provided support for Hitler.

Blair, in sentencing Sewell and Hersant to time served, said the group of friends hiking in the park had seen stickers on their walk with the "Australia for the white man" phrase.

They also saw men wearing black shirts emblazoned with a white Celtic Cross, the emblem of the European Australian Movement.

The friends speculated that the group may be neo-Nazis.

When they crossed paths again in the car park, one of the group googled neo-Nazi symbols and took a video of the other men.

Blair said 10 to 15 men from the group ran toward a car, concealed their identities and threatened the friends, including one with a knife.

Prosecutors claimed Sewell injured his arm on a broken window, either by breaking it himself or reaching into the car.

Hersant was said to have reached through the driver's side window to either turn off the car or grab the keys.

Blair said while the offending arose from their association with neo-Nazi groups she didn't consider it to be related to their political views.

Hersant was sentenced to three days' prison time, already served, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community work over 14 months.

Sewell was sentenced to one month and seven days, with Blair taking into account the difficult conditions he spent in custody over six months to be sufficient punishment.