A woman has described getting rides to work and dance lessons from her ex-husband's alleged murderer on the weekend her former spouse vanished.

Renny Palmer was the subject of affection from both her husband Jason Palmer and his romantic rival Gofal Baziad before the love triangle turned deadly, a NSW Supreme Court jury has heard.

Two days after allegedly killing his friend Mr Palmer, Baziad tried to calm down the woman he perceived as his "girlfriend" over the phone, jurors were told today.

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"He said 'well perhaps Jason had gone to a nightclub and might have been drunk and slept at a friend's place'," Ms Palmer testified using a Bahasa interpreter.

Mr Palmer suddenly disappeared on February 6, 2004.

The two men had been seen chatting and smoking on the balcony of Ms Palmer's home in Sydney's south-west before leaving together late that night.

The 54-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering his romantic rival in a fit of jealousy in the hours following.

Ms Palmer testified Baziad had been late collecting her for work the day after the alleged murder.

She felt unwell on the drive and asked to turn back.

Baziad also said he was sick and the pair decided to go back to their respective homes, the jury heard.

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That afternoon, he picked up Ms Palmer and took her to dance training at the Indonesian consulate.

She tried, unsuccessfully, to call and text her ex-husband.

Two days after he vanished, she went with Baziad to Mr Palmer's rental apartment, the jury heard.

While there, she noticed the interior of his home was messy, as if no one had slept there.

Ms Palmer separated from her then ex-husband in 2002 after he had an affair, she earlier told the court.

However, she reconciled with him in December 2003 after being asked to choose between the two men.

"I still loved Jason," she told the jury.

Despite her decision, Baziad still thought of himself as her boyfriend, she testified.

He compared her relationship with Mr Palmer to glass.

"Even if it was put together again then it would still be broken," he reportedly said.

Ms Palmer testified that Baziad told her he had to clean and move out of his unit the day after her husband disappeared.

When asked why he had to move, he said there was a problem with the real estate, the jury heard.

Mr Palmer's body was found concealed in a sleeping bag and weighed down with rocks in the Nepean River in Sydney's west 23 days after he vanished.

The trial continues.

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Police say many of the recent fatal crashes could have been avoided.

Dad and coach Liam Kane now has him eyeing a 100kg deadlift by November.

The 27-year-old told police after the crash he ‘must have blacked out’.

The Duke of Sussex has thanked Australia for welcoming him and wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, back to Australia, after a day of engagements in Melbourne.

On their way to meet with veterans' families this afternoon in the CBD, Prince Harry told 9News it was "wonderful" to return to Australia.

"It's great to be back," he said.

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"Thanks for having us back," Harry told 9News when asked if he had a message for the Australian public.

The couple was quickly whisked inside the venue, where they are attending the final event of the first day of their Australian tour.

The Sussexes flew to Australia in business class on a commercial Qantas flight and touched down in Melbourne early this morning.

Scores of young patients and their families filled every floor of the Royal Children's Hospital this morning ahead of the couple's first stop of the tour.

They arrived at the Parkville hospital in a black Range Rover with tinted windows at 12pm, where they walked through the revolving doors to greet waiting fans.

The former royals embraced young oncology patients and chatted with their families in the foyer for about 10 minutes, before making their way into a private part of the hospital to see other patients.

Meghan wore a navy buttoned maxi dress and black stiletto heels.

Prince Harry was dressed in a crisp white shirt with an unbuttoned navy blazer and suit pants.

The pair took selfies with patients and collected flowers as they made their way across the hospital floor.

Scarlet McGowan, who has been receiving cancer treatment for three months at the hospital, was one of few patients who managed to chat to both Harry and Meghan.

"He was lovely, he asked me how the care was and I had to point out how gorgeous and lovely our nurses are, they take such good care of us."

Other young patients shared their once-in-a-lifetime interactions with the former royals.

"They both wished me good luck on my leukaemia journey and Meghan wished me to keep on being brave," 12-year-old leukaemia patient Novalie Morris said.

"When I saw Meghan I said 'hi, welcome to Australia, here's a flower," Eunara, 8, said.

The Royal Children's Hospital has a storied royal history.

The hospital was opened by Harry's late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in 1963, and she returned in 2011 after it underwent major renovations.

Harry's parents, now-King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, also visited the hospital during their royal tour of Australia in 1985.

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After about an hour-and-a-half meeting with patients and professionals, the black Range Rover the pair arrived in left the hospital grounds.

Meghan then made a solo visit to a women's homeless shelter, where she met with women who have experienced family violence.

After a quick outfit change, the pair reunited in the city, where they are due to meet with veteran families.

Meghan and Harry are focusing on events that champion community resilience, support for the armed forces and mental health during their whirlwind visit.

The couple will be in Australia for four days.

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It's their first visit since their 2018 royal tour, and the first since they quit the monarchy in 2020.

They're scheduled to make appearances in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney to take part in "private, business, and philanthropic engagements", the couple's spokesperson previously told nine.com.au.

Notable events include the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where Harry will be a keynote speaker on Thursday.

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On Friday, Meghan will make a brief appearance at a women's-only retreat hosted by the Her Best Life podcast in Sydney.

The couple are no longer working members of the royal family and will not carry out any royal duties while in Australia.

There will also be no public walkabouts or meet and greet moments, which have become a staple of official royal tours.

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Harry and Meghan had reportedly planned to meet the public in Melbourne and Sydney but those plans were supposedly cancelled when details were leaked to the press.

Read the couple's full Australia itinerary here.

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‘Break the cycle!!’ the woman wrote to her kids in a letter hours before death.

A man has been charged with the murder of his pregnant partner Hayley McClenahan-Ernst in their western Sydney home nine years ago.

Max Spencer, 30, was arrested by strike force detectives at a property in Bucca, north of Coffs Harbour, at 7.30am today.

The arrest follows a lengthy police investigation and then a coronial inquest into McClenahan-Ernst's suspicious death.

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McClenahan-Ernst was found unresponsive in the couple's Kingswood home just after midnight on Sunday, May 21, 2017 and, despite the efforts of police and paramedics, died at the scene.

Spencer's lawyer told 9News at the time that his client alleged his partner had "fallen over and hit her head".

Last year, the coronial inquest into the young mum's death was suspended as the matter was referred back to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

In October, detectives from the Nepean Police Command reviewed the matter and recommenced investigations.

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New witnesses were interviewed and, just last month, detectives made a public appeal.

As part of that appeal, McClenahan-Ernst's mother Lisa Ernst made a heartfelt plea for anyone with information to come forward.

"Hayley was deeply loved by our family, and we have never stopped missing her smile, her infectious laugh, and the fierce love she had for her children," she said.

"My grief over losing my daughter has only deepened with time, especially as I still have no answers about what happened to Hayley."

Spencer has been taken to Coffs Harbour Police Station and will appear in court later today for a bail hearing.

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National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Heavy rain is set to hit parts of Queensland from tonight as a slow-moving system brings a drenching to the state's north.

The system formed as Tropical Cyclone Maila earlier this month, developing near the Solomon Islands and intensifying into a category 5 cyclone.

It's expected to cross the Cape York coastline tonight.

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Weatherzone says the former cyclone weakened into a tropical low as it drifted south-west, but it's still dragging rain across the coast as it tracks inland.

Communities along the stretch from Mackay to Cape York are likely to feel it most, with heavy rain settling in for several days.

In some spots, totals could push past 100mm.

Townsville could be one of the places watching the skies closely. April is typically much drier than the peak summer months, but this week's rain could stack up fast – potentially all in the space of a couple of days. 

It's unfortunate timing, with the North Queensland Cowboys set to take on the Manly Sea Eagles in Thursday night's NRL clash – likely on a rain-soaked field at Townsville's Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

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As the system moves through, it's expected to bring rain into the state’s interior.

Places like Longreach, Mount Isa and Winton are all in line for another decent drop, continuing what's been a surprisingly wet run for parts of the outback.

Meanwhile, it's a different story further south.

South-east Queensland, which has been chasing rain for much of the year, is set to miss out again.

Brisbane is looking at clear skies and dry conditions right through the rest of the week and into the weekend.

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A large low on Sunday could bring widespread rain and storms to much of NZ.

A Givealittle page has been created to raise funds to pay for Kimberly Ashcroft’s funeral.