Australian troops have built a temporary camp

The spokesman said mother and baby were healthy. They were checked on arrival and have joined the other asylum seekers in the camp.

"Everybody's off, it's gone very smoothly," the spokesman said.

The new asylum seekers joined more than 500 Afghans, Iraqis and Palestinians who were taken to the island aboard the HMAS Manoora almost four weeks ago.

The Afghan asylum seekers had been rescued in late August from a sinking Indonesian ferry by a Norwegian cargo ship, and transferred to the Manoora. The Manoora then picked up the Iraqi and Palestinian asylum seekers on its way to Nauru.

There was a diplomatic row between Norway and Australia over the fate of the Afghans. Since then, Australia has toughened its already strict asylum policy.

It refused to let the Afghans, or any other asylum seekers, into Australia. Some were sent to New Zealand, but most were sent to Nauru, an barren island of about 11,000 people.

Now, Australia is trying to find another location for yet another boatload of asylum seekers. It has been negotiating with a number of Pacific neighbours, including Kiribati, a chain of islands near Nauru.

Mr Ruddock said he expected to announce soon where the 200 asylum seekers would be sent for processing.