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Detectives are working to determine the identity of a body discovered in the basement of a unit block on Brisbane's northside.

Alarm bells were raised after a group of cleaners contracted to clear the space found the human remains wrapped in plastic and covered in dirt, clothes and bedding.

Police said it appears the person was killed several months ago and had been in the building since.

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Investigations are underway to identify the body.

Residents of the unit block were shocked by the discovery.

"It does make you feel uncomfortable… that somebody has been down there for that long without anyone realising," Allan Batzloff said.

"It's a bit overwhelming. Everyone is a bit alarmed, they're wondering who it could be," another resident said.

Jewellery dripping with diamonds, prized art and designer handbags once owned by Melissa Caddick have sold for a fraction of what the fraudster is believed to have swindled. 

The final hammer fell on the catalogue of "luxury goods" once owned by the self-styled financial adviser last night, with "strong interest" from the public driving the total amount raised for receivers to $860,000 over three auctions.

The items were sold off piece-by-piece so the proceeds could be used to repay some of the $23 million Caddick is accused of stealing from investors in an elaborate Ponzi scheme before she vanished in November 2020.

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"The sale of these items represents completion of significant personal assets of the Receivership and our aim was to get this completed before the end of 2022," Principal at Jones Partners, Bruce Gleeson, said.

"In particular, the overall prices achieved for the designer clothing and luxury goods and jewellery reflect the strong interest in the various items, specifically the Canturi jewellery collection."

From the Canturi collection, Caddick's famous black sapphire and diamond "Stella" necklace with matching earrings, originally valued by auctioneers between $80,000 and $120,000, sold for $130,000.

The 18-carat white gold necklace, which she was pictured wearing multiple times, features an 83-carat Australian black sapphire set in diamonds.

Caddick originally paid $370,000 for it in 2015.

Another Canturi set, an 18-carat gold, diamond and gem necklace and earrings had an estimated value of $60,000-$80,000.

It was originally purchased for $285,000 and sold for $80,000.

An Oscar de la Renta ballgown Caddick purchased for $14,180 and was seen wearing in photos plastered all over the news after her disapperance fetched a meagre $1000.

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The series of auctions comes more than a month after Caddick's Dover Heights mansion was sold off, with contracts exchanged and a settlement period of 12 weeks agreed upon.

After selling much of Caddick's remaining assets, including cars and her share portfolio, receivers are focusing on selling a property in Edgecliffe where her parents live.

Barbara and Ted Grimley claim they were also scammed by their daughter and convinced to sell their home in Sydney's south and move east to be closer to Caddick.

They contributed almost $1.2 million to the purchase of the apartment, bought in Caddick's name, on the condition they would have the right to live there rent-free until they died.

"We intend to schedule an Investor Meeting for early 2023 to provide a detailed update on the actions that have been undertaken and the timeframe to deal with remaining aspects for the Receivership and Liquidation during 2023," Gleeson said.

"The sale of these assets has involved several applications to the Federal Court of Australia as part of advancing realisations.

"We are focused on dealing with the Edgecliff Property which forms part of the Receivership Property, as well as finalising our position regarding Maliver's tax refunds in 2023.

Caddick disappeared in November 2020, hours after the Australian Federal Police and Australian Securities and Investments Commission raided her Dover Heights home in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Three months later the 49-year-old's decomposing foot, encased in a running shoe, was found on Bournda Beach on the state's South Coast.

It is believed about 74 victims lost at least $23 million through Caddick's Ponzi scheme, over which she was set to face a string of charges. 

The final day of an inquest into her disappearance heard police struggled to watch the mountain of video evidence they had gathered.

Caddick is presumed dead.

As an extreme heatwave takes shape in northern Australia the wild weather is continuing with hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes hitting the east and west of the nation.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of an extreme heatwave across the northern and central parts of the nation, bringing potential record-high temperatures to Queensland.

Sudden storms hit Queensland overnight bringing 300,000 lightning strikes, heavy rain, hail and wild winds to the state.

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https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1600599897182507036

But the damage from the storm became even more dangerous today when 23,000 homes were left without power during the peak of a heatwave.

Ricardo was one of those left without power and said the heat is stifling.

"It was intense, the thunder and lightning was immense. We have two dogs – they were petrified," he said.

"The kids have gone to Westfield with the wife to get the aircon there."

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Ruth Durrant from Energex said crews have worked to restore power to "some 70 power lines that have come down across the region".

Today, temperatures reached up to 43C in Mt Isa and Longreach while Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast hit the mid-30s.

Cooler conditions are forecast for tomorrow.

Meanwhile in Perth, the capital wasn't exempt from a light show.

40,000 lightning strikes hit Perth overnight and more than 300,000 struck across southern Western Australia.

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"Having this amount of lightning strikes is quite extraordinary," the BoM said.

Not only were thousands of lightning strikes recorded but hail the size of 20-cent pieces rained down.

It was the first summer thunderstorm to hit the state and the bureau is warning of more to come.

Many areas in WA, NT and Queensland experienced their hottest conditions since March, as daytime averages sat four to eight degrees higher than usual for this time of year.

Looking forward, the maximum temperatures for the rest of this week are set to climb into the low-to-mid 40s across northern Australia, while south-east Queensland and central Western Australia will hit the mid-to-high 30s.

The hot weather also brings an increased fire risk with weather warnings in place.

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Austin Facer's mother remembers him as a "joyful little boy who loved life".

NSW deputy state coroner Elizabeth Ryan said his family may now spend years wondering whether that life could have been saved.

The six-year-old died in the early hours of October 22, 2019, after going into cardiac arrest and collapsing at his school in Broken Hill, in far west NSW, the previous day.

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School staff and paramedics were able to revive him and he was taken to Broken Hill Base Hospital, where it was agreed his condition was serious enough to require a medical transfer to a city facility.

A transfer team didn't arrive until just before midnight, and Austin collapsed as he was being prepared for the flight, an inquest into his death heard.

He was pronounced dead just after 2am.

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"The evidence established there were significant flaws in the planning for the transfer, which led to unacceptable and avoidable delays," Ryan said, handing down the inquest findings at Lidcombe Coroners Court on Thursday.

"Although everyone involved in Austin's retrieval had his best interests at heart, his transfer was afflicted with systemic deficiencies and flawed decision-making.

"For many hours, there was simply no settled plan to transfer Austin anywhere."

Ryan said she was unable to determine whether a speedier transfer to a city would have prevented his death.

"But there is no doubt that a more timely transfer had the potential to improve his chances of survival," she said.

"For (his parents), there can be little comfort in this conclusion. They will always ask themselves if their little boy might have lived had his transfer not taken so long.

"The long wait that afternoon and evening must have been harrowing."

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Ryan said the inquest was important for other people living in rural and remote parts of the state, "who deserve to have the earliest possible access to full hospital services like patients elsewhere in NSW".

"Inquests are an opportunity to examine whether they are getting the health services they need and deserve," she said.

"The evidence at this inquest established there was a lack of clarity as to which service had ownership of Austin's transfer, which together with sub-optimal decision-making, led to failure in communication and planning."

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Ryan said while there were unacceptable delays, Austin received appropriate care at his school and from staff at the hospital.

She made three recommendations, including the need for mutually agreed guidelines on transfers, covering operational and clinical processes, to be settled as soon as possible.

Six months ago, Ryan found "serious and unacceptable" deficiencies in the treatment of teenager Alex Braes at Broken Hill hospital.

Braes died of sepsis in 2017, after he was refused admission to a South Australian tertiary facility due to a policy preventing interstate transfers.

A NSW Health budget estimates hearing in September was told Braes' death led to an agreement with SA Health and there were now 300 emergency transfers from Broken Hill to Adelaide each year.

Ryan acknowledged the inquest into Austin's death was deeply painful for his family.

"I know they will always grieve for Austin and I hope in time that sorrow will lift, and they will find some peace."