Adelaide man Wenbo Yu, whose wife and two children are in Wuhan, said his family was considering rejecting the Government's evacuation offer.
"We'd rather they stay in Wuhan," Mr Yu told the ABC.
"Compared to Wuhan, we believe Christmas Island is even more unpredictable."
Sydney mother Liu, who asked to be known by her surname, said after reading the news about Christmas Island, her daughter asked if they had "done something wrong".
There are at least 140 Australian children currently in Wuhan, the Chinese mega-city under strict lockdown. Their parents seek help to escape this nightmare.
"We are not prisoners, how could they treat us in a detention centre rather than a proper medical facility?" Ms Liu said.
Sydney woman Wu, who also gave her surname only, said she felt conflicted.
"The Government wouldn't send its citizens to Christmas Island detention centre if those who are trapped in Wuhan were white Australians," she said.
"As a mother, I feel so sorry to bring my daughters to a detention centre for the quarantine purpose."
She said there was no consultation before the announcement.
"We are forced to accept this offer … we have no other choice because the Government only gave us one single option to survive," she said.