60 minutes crew arrive home, celebrate with champagne, as Sally Faulkner farewells her children at a grimy Beirut play centre.

There were no tears when Sally Faulkner said goodbye to her children, there were just smiles and laughter.

At a play centre in Beirut the final leg of this painful saga has been played out – but not before her former husband, Ali Elamine, tried one last legal manoeuvre attempting to have the children’s Australian nationalities eliminated from their passport and changed to solely Lebanese.

Sally Faulkner was now just a desperate mother saying good-bye to her two children, a three-year-old and a five-year-old she risked everything to win back – but lost.

As the 60 Minutes crew of Tara Brown, producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson and sound recordist David Ballment landed at Sydney airport late last night Sally Faulkner was allowed to meet with her children, the first time she has seen them since she was involved in an elaborate plot to snatch them back.

At a Beirut play centre, with grimy seats and colourful walls she said goodbye.

The Australian reports that their father, now used to regularly speaking before the cameras, detailed the visit to media.

Elamine told of how Lahela, 5 and Noah, 3, ate ice cream with their mother and laughed before saying goodbye.

“The visit was good, Sal had fun, the kids had fun, that’s all that matters,” Ali Elamine said.

“She’s their mother and obviously they are going to enjoy time with her.”

Elamine told reporters that it was time Sally went home and left him with his children.

“She has absolutely moved on and there is no question that the children are better here with my family, they are my kids,” he said.

“She has started on a new life and has a new child three months old she needs to get back to the baby.”

He reported that were no tears at the play centre meeting – at least while the children were present, but their mother sobbed once they left.

Elamine told reporters that it was time Sally went home and left his with his children. Via Nine News.

Sally Faulkner's former husband told The Australian that, despite the drama of the past two weeks, and despite the fact he traded their freedom of their mother and the four members of the 60 Minutes crew he was encouraging the children to be a part of their mother’s life.

Though not in Australia.

"We are discussing that, Sal and I, right now. If she is not here, she can Skype them and whenever she feels the need or wants to come over."

He said he would not be allowing the children though to visit their mother in Australia but wavered on ruling it completely out.

"Then maybe a few years down the line, yeah why not?"

But he said he was open to a visit in a third country such as the UAE or Cyprus reports The Australian.

Ms Faulkner's lawyer Ghassan Moughabghab said under the custody agreement that secured her release, she can visit the children in Lebanon or a third country, but not in Australia.

Earlier in the day the former couple had once again appeared in court to thrash out the last details of the settlement.

News Limited reports that in the Baabda court chambers of the prosecuting judge Elamine tried one last manoeuvre attempting to have the children’s Australian nationalities eliminated from their passport and changed to solely Lebanese.

According to her lawyer the proposal prompted Faulkner to break down in tears and instantly reject.

Ms Faulkner told Nine News she had just one message for her children.

"I love them and mummy's sorry that it all worked out this way. I tried."

"I hope I can see them one day again in Australia, I really do."

Elamine told News Limited that he hadn’t told his children that their mother was in jail and it’s something he hopes remains a secret from them.

“I hope Sally doesn’t tell them about the jail, I didn’t put her in jail, I am not the parent at committed a crime in Lebanon. it took time to get it all sorted out, and a week to get it resolved, which is quite quick.”

Meanwhile back in Australia the teams from 60 Minutes have reunited with their anxious families with journalist Tara Brown telling reporters at the airport it is "good to be home".

The four were photographed travelling business class on Emirates where they reportedly relaxed in surroundings a far cry from their Beirut jail cells.

They then, finally arrived in Sydney,  entering through a VIP area of the airport to a large waiting media scrum - and a van to take them home to their families, their wives, Tara Brown's husband and the crew's children - the other forgotten victims of this awful ordeal.

Last night a document was released to the media showing that the Nine Network paid nearly $70,000 to the recovery team still being held  in a Lebanese prison.

Neither the Nine Network, nor any members of its relieved 60 Minutes team commented on the reports.

This isn't the last we've heard of this though there are reports that Channel Nine has paid for Sally Faulkner's Lebanese legal fees and the network wants exclusivity to her story as part of the deal - a story we can expect to be played out on our screens in the very near future.