Schapelle Corby has reached the final stage of her journey back to Australia after managing to bypass waiting media at Denpasar airport.
More than 12 years after arriving at Bali on a visit that turned into a nightmare, Corby was just hours away from being deported.
The 39-year-old convicted drug smuggler ran the media gauntlet, first leaving her villa and then at the corrections office where an official held up her signed prisoner release papers to the waiting media, showing she was free.
Wearing sunglasses, a white shawl around her head and carrying a handbag, Corby got into a corrections vehicle at her villa on Saturday afternoon accompanied by her sister Mercedes under the glare of flashing cameras.
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Mercedes filmed the waiting media with her iPhone from inside the car, and Corby's handbag carried an image of missing child William Tyrrell.
Their brother, Michael, watched the scene from atop the high fence of the Kuta villa where she has been staying, photographing the media while wearing a mask of an old man.
Armoured vehicles were waiting down the lane from where Corby has been living to escort her to corrections office in Denpasar.
A group of police ran behind the car, preventing the pursuing media pack getting too close, while locals and tourists took photos of the convoy as it passed through the village.
Corby posted a photo on Instagram saying: "Big thank you to my Bali family, neighbours and my brother inlaw Wayan."
After getting the necessary paperwork at the corrections office, she left the media flat-footed by sneaking into the airport unnoticed.
Section chief of Denpasar airport Hermansyah, who only goes by one name, confirmed Corby was at the airport.
"Corby is already inside," he said. "Now she is going though immigration process at the airport immigration counter.
"She entered through airport employee entrance with consideration that at the international departure there are lots of passenger.
"We were afraid it would disturb them."
These were the final steps in the journey that started 12-and-a-half years ago when she was caught at Denpasar airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in her bodyboard bag in October 2004.
She was initially sentenced to 20 years jail and spent more than a decade in Kerobokan prison.
Corby is due to board a Virgin flight to Brisbane at 10.10pm (12.10am AEST on Sunday).
Her departure marks the end of case that has put strain on the often tumultuous relationship between Indonesia and Australia.
"Not only was it a major political issue between our two countries, it defined the bilateral relationship for a number of years," president of the Australian-based Indonesia Institute Ross Taylor told AAP.
It also revealed Australia's "distorted perception" of Indonesia as a very "narrow one" - with "Schapelle Corby, Bintang Beer, Bali, terrorism and boat people" becoming synonymous with our neighbour, he said.
