Schapelle Corby lands in Australia after 13 years in Bali

Reporters and camera crews remained at the home of Ms Corby's mother on Sunday, after family and friends left the house just before 10am.

Neighbours watched dozens of media come and go from the Loganlea home, south of Brisbane, with plenty of other cars driving through the street to have a look around.

Ms Corby travelled with her sister Mercedes Corby and a bodyguard on a Malindo Air flight that left Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday and touched down in Brisbane at 5.09am – ahead of its scheduled 5.40am arrival.

The 39-year-old managed to avoid the media as she changed her flight at the last minute to Malindo Air from Virgin Australia.

On arrival she was whisked away from Brisbane Airport under the cover of early-morning darkness without detection. 

She created an Instagram account from Bali and a Snapchat account to share her homecoming with the world.

Her debut gram, a photo of her two dogs, Luna and May, was posted from her Kuta home only hours before she was picked up by a police convoy to begin her trip home to Australia. It has already gathered more than 7000 likes.

"Going to miss these two. My puppies #Luna&May," Ms Corby, who was convicted in 2005 of smuggling more than four kilograms of marijuana into Bali in a bodyboard bag, posted.

Her second post, which appeared after she was whisked away by police, shows her "Bali family", including Mercedes and brother Michael Corby.

"Big thank you to my Bali family, neighbours and my brother-in-law Wayan," she wrote.

She then posted a series of pictures, including one of her parole papers.

The account had reached more than 97,000 followers since Sunday morning.

But she didn't stop there. Ms Corby has also taken to Snapchat to thank her supporters.

"Thank you for all the love and support everybody x", she wrote.

Some members of the public were quick to throw support behind her.

"Good job girls. Stay strong ignore the haters. Welcome back to the Gold Coast Shappelle," one supporter said on Instagram.

"Welcome home @schapelle.corby and don't let a**holes take away the joy you must be experiencing! Enjoy every second of it!!!!!" another user said.

Fellow travellers arriving at Brisbane from Bali witnessed the operation to return Ms Corby home under the radar.

Jane Szach and Kerry Webb, who were visiting Ms Szach's daughter in Bali, said the departure gate at Denpasar International Airport was changed twice without notification. Passengers arrived at the gate to find no officials and it wasn't until they scanned the departures board did they realised what had happened.

They added that a van came racing past the bus taking general passengers to the Malindo Air flight, with Ms Corby understood to be in the separate vehicle.

On the flight itself, Ms Szach and Ms Webb said they briefly saw Ms Corby with her sister Mercedes and a bodyguard referred to as 'John'.

"We were quite shocked that she was on our flight," they said.

"But she looked amazing. She seemed fine and very relaxed."

Gabrielle Amies and Lynne Bellinger, holidaying in Bail, said it was "business as usual" on the flight and without seeing Ms Corby they wouldn't have known anything was different prior to take-off.

However, this changed in the air, with business class curtains drawn, toilets blocked off towards the end of the flight to ensure a hasty exit for Ms Corby. Many passengers were left in some discomfort upon arrival, once the toilets were closed.

Ms Amies and Ms Bellinger said upon landing in Brisbane, all passengers were forced to remain in their seats with an announcement saying "the special guest has to get off first".

Ms Corby said in a statement that her focus had turned to "healing and moving forward".

"It is with gratefulness and relief that we mark Schapelle Corby's return to Australia," the family statement read by a member of the security team said.

"We would like to say thank you to Schapelle's supporters for all the faith, love and support they have shown over the years.

"To all those in Australia and to all of those in Bali, who were there throughout the difficult journey, your support has not gone unnoticed.

"To each and every one of you, you are appreciated."

The family called for privacy as the convicted drug smuggler tries to settle back into life in Queensland.

"Priority of focus will now be on healing and moving forward," the statement said.

A handful of Ms Corby's supporters, who call themselves The Expendables Project, also made an appearance at Brisbane Airport.

"We've hardly slept all night because we're so excited Schapelle is back in the country. We have come from all parts of Australia and the media need to stop stalking and bullying her," the supporters said.

It is understood Ms Corby will go to either to her mother's house in Loganlea or sister's residence in Tugun.

There also early reports she will hide out at the Sofitel Hotel in Brisbane City.

With AAP