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Located 6Km (3.7 miles) south of Norfolk Island, Phillip Island, was devastated due to the introduction, during Norfolk's penal colony era, of pest animals such as pigs, goats and rabbits. This caused massive erosion, giving the island a reddish brown colour as viewed from Norfolk, due to the absence of topsoil. However, the pigs and goats were removed by the early 20th century, and rabbits were exterminated by 1988. Since then, natural regeneration of native species and weeds, and remediation work by park staff, has brought considerable improvement to Phillip Island's environment. There are still large areas of red earth which are highlighted by the setting sun to the right of the photo.