SYDNEY, Australia — Schapelle Corby left Australia for Bali in 2004 as a beach girl, another Gold Coast surfer who said she was just seeking a vacation and some waves.

On Sunday morning, she finally returned home, but as a convicted drug trafficker — and one of Australia’s most well-known, if not favorite, criminals.

A mob of reporters and television cameras greeted her arrival in Brisbane just after 5 a.m. — and less than 24 hours after she created an Instagram account, tens of thousands of followers had already signed up for a glimpse of her new life.

“There’s not very many Australian drug traffickers that you could say are media stars,” said Anthony Lambert, a senior lecturer in cultural studies at Macquarie University. “She’s a celebrity prisoner, which is a relatively new phenomenon.”