At around 5am on Wednesday morning I looked out my hotel window and was greeted with what has become a very familiar site to anyone who's been reading Australian newspapers over the last few months - the Australian Customs ship, the Oceanic Viking. The huge blue and yellow liner was moored just of Christmas Island's Flying Fish Cove.

The day before, we had confirmed media reports that the Department of Immigration were expecting the arrival of a number of asylum seekers to arrive at Christmas Island early that morning, so the Oceanic Viking's purpose there was clear.

We dressed hurriedly and headed down to Christmas Island Jetty at Flying Fish Cove. It was a hive of activity. Staff from the Department of Immigration, Serco, health services, customs, Australian quarantine, Australian federal police, local police and interpreters were waiting on the dock. We all watch the stevedores lower the two Christmas Island barges off the jetty and then saw the barges navigate their way through the reef channel and out to the Oceanic Viking.

Three buses were parked on the jetty, ready to take the asylum seekers up to Phosphate Hill where the Australian Government would begin the process of assessing their claims to refugee status.

As the sun came up and the first barge neared the jetty, we could see a group of around 12 people, all wearing bright orange lifejackets, calmly seated on the front of the barge. The barge was winched up to the jetty and everyone swung into action. It was clear from the professional, calm, efficient and methodical way that the staff from each agency went about their business that they had done this before.

We knew from our earlier interviews with the Department of Immigration that all asylum seekers brought in to Christmas Island by customs vessels have already been subject to public health screenings. The first group to come off the barge were taken away for further medical checks.

barge carrying asylum seekers approaching the Christmas Island jettyThe barge carrying asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking nears the Christmas Island jetty.

It was not until the second group came off the barge that I was struck by the enormity of this moment for these men, women and children arriving in Australia for the first time. Some looked lost, some looked overwhelmed, some looked relieved, but one man I saw could not contain the happiness and relief he felt. He was smiling and thanking the staff on the dock.

The operation continued as the barges brought ashore men, women and children from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. These people have come to Australia from countries ravaged by war, seeking our protection. As they were driven past Graham, Louise and I standing near the end of the dock, a few of them looked at us. One young girl smiled and waved, clearly delighted by the hope she felt.

Once the asylum seekers were ashore, staff began to unload their property. Overwhelmingly this property consisted of small sports bags - containing few possessions - placed in large plastic bags.

Despite what I know about refugees, seeing these small bags rammed home a few important points for me.

Many of these people have left families in internment camps in Sri Lanka, or under threat in Pakistan or Afghanistan, and packed their lives into these small bags. The boat journey they have made carries a real risk of drowning. And they had made it to our shores.

Their futures were now in the hands of the Australian Government.

Despite the efficiency and professionalism of each of the staff on the dock, the poignancy of the moment was not lost on us.