The impromptu marine show happened around 5pm on the Auckland waterfront.

A heritage villa sat proudly on the banks of the Parramatta River for 135 years but now hopes of it being rebuilt in a new location are in tatters.

The 1800s villa, Willow Grove, was set to be reassembled brick by brick at an alternative location after being torn down two years ago to make way for the Powerhouse Museum opening in 2025.

A new location for the rebuild was never settled on.

READ MORE: Death toll rises to more than 600 after powerful earthquake hits Morocco

But the NSW government has ripped up plans to reconstruct the building.

"It's a tragedy it was torn down, but to rebuild it now would be simply silly – it's been branded fake heritage," Arts Minister John Graham said.

Last month, photos obtained by 9News under freedom of information laws showed the remnants of the historic home stored in a secret western Sydney warehouse. 

Heritage experts were concerned about the reconstruction process.

"This confirms what everyone's been thinking, actually it will be impossible to reconstruct. We've just got a kit of parts really," National Trust conservation director David Burdon said.

Even residents who campaigned tirelessly against its demolition didn't want it rebuilt. 

"It's a Frankenstein and we don't support that," Suzette Meade from North Parramatta Residents Action Group said.

"We feel there's a better use of money in so many remaining parts of Parramatta."

Now that reconstruction plans have been ripped up it has also been revealed the project wasn't budgeted for.

"Money was not put aside for this use," Graham said.

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It is the latest in a pre-budget string of projects scrapped or scaled back by the government including the Powerhouse Museum rebuild at Ultimo, a new Penrith Stadium and the Northern Beaches Tunnel.

There is pressure on the Minns government to revamp other projects in Parramatta including the election promise to fix the closed Roxy Theatre.

"This is heritage in the heart of Parramatta, a key venue, we're keen to look at this seriously," Graham said.

The Powerhouse Museum will be used to keep Willow Grove's memory alive by incorporating archeological relics and some of the original sandstone flooring. 

A search is on to find another fitting place to house the other historic pieces.

"We don't want to see Willow Grove's pieces sitting and rotting," Meade said.

Police are hunting for two gunmen who shot and killed a notorious underworld figure and injured the son of a late crime boss during a brazen daylight crime in Melbourne.

Gavin "Capable" Preston and Abbas "AJ" Maghnie, the son of late crime boss Nabil Maghnie, were sitting at a cafe in Keilor Village having breakfast when two men dressed in black fired multiple shots at the pair about 10.20am.

Preston died at the scene while Maghnie suffered serious injuries.

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He was taken to hospital and is currently undergoing surgery, Crime Command Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt confirmed.

Hatt confirmed the pair suffered gunshot wounds to the upper body.

Preston and Maghnie were known to each other and this was a targeted attack.

"We believe they were friends and were at the cafe together," Hatt said.

"The offenders were there to shoot the two males that have been shot."

Hatt said police believe the shooting is linked to organised crime.

Police are hunting for two men dressed in black who were seen driving a black Audi SUV after the incident.

The car was found dumped shortly after the incident at Blair Court in Keilor.

"We suspect a second car was used," Hatt added.

READ MORE: Powerful earthquake strikes Morocco

There were a number of other people dining at the cafe at the time of shooting with the crime sending shockwaves through the community.

"It's just crazy. We moved to the area because it's safe, and we walk down here every day, take the kids to the park," one local said.

The investigation is continuing.

Preston's reputation for violence was well known, he was the prime suspect in the near-fatal shooting of Toby Mitchell and accused of plotting to kill Mick Gatto.

He was jailed for shooting two drug dealers and killing one.

Preston also survived a stabbing in prison

He was only released in April

Two men are lucky to be alive after a McLaren sports car crashed in Sydney's south-west.

The McLaren, worth about $400,000, collided with a Toyota hatchback on the Hume Highway in Yagoona about 1am today.

The front of the sports car peeled open with glass, debris and parts of the engine scattered across the road.

READ MORE: Powerful earthquake strikes Morocco, inflicting damage from mountain villages to historic Marrakech

After the collision, the McLaren was sent into the brick fence of a property.

"I heard a big noise like a boom," a resident said.

None of the passengers or drivers in either vehicle suffered serious injuries.

The McLaren driver doesn't own the car – rather, it is a rental.

Police told 9News that at this stage they believe no one is at fault and are yet to determine if speed was a factor.

Man who killed best mate in an illegal street race later took his own life.

He was last seen wearing navy/black pants, a jacket and a wool hat.

Tragedy has struck a modified car event at Queensland Raceway as a driver fights for life after a horror crash.

A 1973 Holden Torana swerved before rolling multiple times in a high speed crash at Queensland Raceway in Willowbank about 5.30pm on Friday.

Confronting video shows the driver and his passenger flung out the front windscreen and landing 10 metres from the wreckage.

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"We found two patients, a 45-year-old male who was in a critical condition and a 33-year-old male who was in a serious but stable condition," Queensland Ambulance's Mark Disney said.

The driver was rushed to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

The passenger also sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital.

Willowbank is currently hosting the Powercruise #93 event between September 7 and 10.

On its about us page, event organisers Powercruise Promotions says it "offers its customers the opportunity to push their cars' performance levels to the limits in a number of driving events that are conducted in a controlled and safe alcohol-free environment".

Powercruise Promotions posted a statement on their social media platforms on Friday evening, stating that the four-day event will continue across the weekend.

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https://twitter.com/QldPolice/status/1700095503827124244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"Powercruise acknowledges that a single vehicle incident occurred at Queensland Raceway during one of today's cruising sessions," it said.

"We'd like to commend the track medical and fire response for being on scene immediately; as well as QAS for their assistance by road and helicopter."

The Forensic Crash Unit is assisting Workplace Health and Safety with investigations.

The death toll for the rare, powerful earthquake in Morocco has risen to at least 632, local media reports.

Morocco's Interior Ministry said on Saturday morning local time that at least 632 people had died, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the quake's epicentre.

Another 329 people were injured.

Casualty figures were expected to rise more as the search continues and as rescuers reach remote areas.

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Moroccan television showed scenes from the aftermath, as many stayed outside fearing aftershocks.

Anxious families stood in streets or huddled on the pavement, some carrying children, blankets or other belongings.

Emergency workers looked for survivors in the rubble of buildings, their reflective yellow vests illuminating the nighttime landscape.

The quake ripped a gaping hole in a home, and a car was nearly buried by the chunks of a collapsed building.

Baskets, buckets and clothing could be seen amid scattered stones in the remains of one building.

Other images shared online showed people running and screaming near the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, one of the city's most famed landmarks. Moroccan media reported that the mosque suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear.

Its 69-metre minaret is known as the "roof of Marrakech."

Moroccans also posted videos showing parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, damaged.

The head of a town near the earthquake's epicentre told Moroccan news site 2M that several homes in nearby towns had partly or totally collapsed, and electricity and roads were cut off in some places.

Abderrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N'Yaaqoub, said authorities are working to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to populations affected, but said large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the extent of the damage.

Local media reported that roads leading to the mountain region around the epicentre were jammed with vehicles and blocked with collapsed rocks, slowing rescue efforts.

A UN spokesperson said that "the United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population."

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11.11pm local time (8.11am AEDT), with shaking that lasted several seconds.

The USGS said Friday night's quake was unusually strong for that part of Morocco.

"Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected. Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only 9 M5 (magnitude 5) and larger earthquakes," USGS said.

The US body predicted that "significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread", noting that many people in the area reside in structures that are "highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking".

Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale.

The US agency reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.

The USGS said the epicentre was 18km below the Earth's surface, while Morocco's seismic agency put it at 8km down. In either case, such shallow quakes are more dangerous.

The epicentre of Friday's tremor was high in the Atlas Mountains roughly 70km south of Marrakech. It was also near Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa and Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort.

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Earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa. Lahcen Mhanni, Head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics, told 2M TV that the earthquake was "exceptional."

"Mountainous regions in general do not produce earthquakes of this size," he said. "It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the region."

In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 tremor struck near the Moroccan city of Agadir and caused thousands of deaths.

The Agadir quake prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings, especially rural homes, are not built to withstand such tremors.

The quake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria's Civil Defence agency, which oversees emergency response.

Labour was savaged in several polls this week.

Peter was an integral part of the Stratford community and will be greatly missed.