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After nine months of misery, five Australians who were detained last year for illegal entry into Papua are set to fly home today, their lawyer said on Tuesday.

Pilot William Scott Bloxam, his co-pilot Vera Bloxam, and their three passengers, Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Mortimer, are scheduled to leave Merauke early this morning, said Efrem Fangohoy.

“We have received all the release documents we need. They are flying back to Horn Island at 7:30 a.m.,” he said, referring to the Australian island that they departed from in September last year.

The five were declared free by the Supreme Court on June 9, but they have been stranded in the province awaiting a letter that states the withdrawal of the Papua prosecutors’ ban on them leaving the area.

“They are very happy with the result,” Efrem said, “and obviously they are very excited to go home.”

William Bloxam and his passengers were arrested on Sept. 12, 2008, when they landed their plane at Merauke’s Mopah Airport, believing they could obtain visas on arrival.

Officials from the Papua Immigration Office detained the five immediately after landing. In January, the Merauke District Court found them all guilty and sentenced William Bloxam to three years in jail and a Rp 50 million ($4,950) fine. The others were given two years and fined Rp 25 million each.

Citing humanitarian reasons, the district court released the group from prison in March but banned them from leaving the city of Merauke until their appeals were heard.

Vera Bloxam told The Australian newspaper she would not believe that the group’s problems were over until she was back in Australia. “We’re not counting on anything ... but things are looking up,” she was quoted as saying. “Things are going mad here.”

Efrem said his clients won their appeal on the grounds that William Bloxam had landed the plane after getting verbal clearance from air traffic controllers at the airport.