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Father of baby found dead on Surfers Paradise beach is charged with murder
The baby was found on Monday morning at a Surfers Paradise beach
Her body is believed to have been thrown into the Jack Evans Boat Harbour NSW
Baby's mother revealed to have educated upbringing in Victoria
The 23-year-old went to a private high school and studied at university
A former high school teacher said the woman was a 'gorgeous kid'

By Aidan Wondracz and Nic White For Daily Mail Australia and Aap

Published: 19:01 EST, 21 November 2018 | Updated: 19:45 EST, 21 November 2018

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The father of a baby girl found dead after washing up on a Gold Coast beach has been charged with murder.

The 48-year-old homeless man was extradited from Queensland to NSW on Wednesday night and faced Tweed Heads Local Court on Thursday.

He did not give an address as he appeared via videolink and did not enter a plea. He was remanded in custody until February 25.

The nine-month-old girl was allegedly thrown into the Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads, NSW, and her empty pram left alongside the waterway.

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The father of a baby girl found dead after washing up on a Gold Coast beach has been charged with murder

The woman, 23, who cannot be named for legal reasons, studied for a Bachelor of Psychology Services at Deakin University in Victoria

It is known the family lived rough and used a rundown black van

When they weren't using the van, they were camping out in makeshift shelters

The girl's body is believed to have drifted 30km in the current for two days before being washed up at a Surfers Paradise beach.

She was found naked on the beach with her nappy nearby after emergency services were called to the scene on Monday.

The couple were homeless and living with their baby in a hut made of sticks close to the beach where the girl's body was found.

The 23-year-old mother had a middle-class upbringing and attended private school.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attended the fee-paying Clonard College, in Geelong.

She went on to study for a Bachelor of Psychology Services at Deakin University in Victoria, where she was a sports captain.

A former teacher from Clonard College described the star pupil in glowing terms, according to The Australian.

'She was a gorgeous kid. As far as I can remember, there were certainly no family issues when she was at school.'

'This is an extremely complex investigation as it crosses jurisdictional boundaries, time zones,' Tweed Police Detective Inspector Brendan Cullen told reporters.

The little girl was found dead in the water (pictured) by a passerby in the early hours of Monday morning Paramedics desperately tried to revive her but she was pronounced dead at the scene

The girl's body is believed to have drifted 30km in the current for two days before washing up at Surfers Paradise beach where she was found by passers-by early on Monday

The girl, her father, mother and two-year-old sibling were tracked on CCTV travelling from the Gold Coast to Tweed Heads on Saturday, sources familiar with the case told AAP on Wednesday.

Queensland Police later captured images of the parents and the two-year-old catching a bus at Coolangatta and returning to Queensland.

Queensland Police Service launched an investigation with NSW Police Force detectives assisting.

The matter was handed over to NSW Police Force once it was deemed the death happened in that state.

Homicide Squad and Tweed/Byron Police District detectives now lead the investigation under Strike Force Palua.

The discovery of the nine-month-old baby at the Surfers Paradise beach has sent shockwaves across the country and left a pair of local women in mourning

Tributes have been laid out for the nine-month-old girl who was found dead on Monday morning

One included a touching letter lamenting that more was not done to save her young life

Queensland Police made several formal notifications to the Department of Child Safety about the baby, who was living rough.

The family had been placed into emergency accommodation, but the parents chose to leave.

At an extradition hearing on Wednesday the baby's father faced the court wearing just a white hospital gown.

The hearing was briefly delayed because the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a number of charges that had to be dealt first.

Southport Magistrates Court was told he was a violent schizophrenic who had previously tried to attack a Gold Coast City Council officer who was warning him not to camp in the sand dunes with his family.

Police established a crime scene at the Surfers Paradise beach (right), a far cry from the glitz and glamour that is normally associated with Surfers Paradise (left)

He had hurled abuse at the officer, calling him a 'c***', and threatened him with an 1.5 metre stick. The enraged man had also thrown bottles at the terrified council worker.

Defence lawyer Sunil Dutt told the court the father was trying to protect his family and that he had a history of alcoholism, drug addiction and violence.

Mr Dutt went on to make clear his client was also on a disability pension.

Mr Costanzo sentenced the man to 12 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to public nuisance.

It is understood the girl's mother, a 23-year-old transient, has been released from police custody without charge and may be treated as a witness.

She is now under the care of Queensland mental health services. Her eldest child is also in state care.

Queensland detectives have been 'deeply distressed' by the circumstance of the child's death, the sources said.