Updated: 02 June 2003
Norfolk Island
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Vegetation
Captain James Cook first landed on the island in 1788 and within the next twenty six years, forty percent of the islands
natural vegetation was cleared. Today only five percent of the native forest remains undisturbed. The Norfolk pine,
which has become the island's symbol, may reach heights of over sixty metres, sometimes with a girth of eleven metres.
A large proportion of the natural vegetation on Phillip Island was lost when rabbits were introduced. The island ended up
a virtual desert. However, soon after, man started trapping the rabbits and the last was trapped in 1986.
Regeneration of the native vegetation is now occurring rapidly.
Norfolk Island is situated 1676 kilometres north east of Sydney,
at 167°57' East, 29°02' South. The Territory of Norfolk Island
comprises Norfolk, Philip and Nepean Islands, with an area of 3727 hectares.
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Geology
Most of Norfolk Island is a plateau formed from horizontal sheets of basalt. The highest point rises to
319 metres at Mount Bates. The island is a mountain top remnant of an elongated shield volcano. The shelf around Norfolk
and surrounding islands is 95 kilometres long, north to south, and, 35 kilometres wide, east to west.
More Information on the Norfolk Island
