Asylum seeker families have been transferred to the Leonora detention centre, joining dozens of unaccompanied minors at the remote facility.
It comes as Immigration Department officials released a group of Sri Lankans and Afghans into the community on bridging visas last week.
The release is only the second since Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced the change in policy last month.
At the time, he said that he expected at least 100 boat people to be released on the visa every month.
The latest release involved 36 Sri Lankans and Afghans who had spent 15 months or more in immigration detention.
The group have been settled in Adelaide and Melbourne and were released from centres in Queensland and Tasmania and the Curtin detention centre in WA's Kimberley.
The latest release means 63 people are now living in the community on bridging visas, which gives them work rights and access to Centrelink payments.
In Leonora, where the immigration centre is regarded as an "alternative place of detention", more than 30 unaccompanied minors were joined by 54 people on Thursday when the family groups were moved from Christmas Island.
In September, family groups were shifted from Leonora in preparation for the centre to become one used to house unaccompanied minors.
But with the number of detainees on Christmas Island swelling in recent weeks, a decision was made to send families back to the desert camp.
As of Friday, 1243 irregular maritime arrivals were in detention on Christmas Island, including 250 children.
An Immigration spokeswoman said 16 family groups, including 38 adults and 16 children, mainly of Iranian descent, were transferred to Leonora.
The children would attend classes dealing with life in Australia and English as a second language, the spokeswoman said.
Leonora can house 200 people.TheWestAustralian
