Claraville Station

Claraville Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the Gulf Country region of North West Queensland, approximately 80km southwest of the township of Croydon. Registered in March 2016, the project covers a vast area of nearly 219,100 hectares. The property is a working pastoral lease primarily dedicated to cattle grazing, a land use that has defined the station since its establishment in the late 19th century.

The project operates under the Savanna Fire Management (Emissions Abatement) methodology. This involves strategically managing fire regimes in the low rainfall zone of northern Australia. By conducting planned, cool burns during the early dry season (EDS), the project aims to reduce the fuel load and prevent large, high-intensity wildfires that typically occur in the late dry season (LDS). These late-season fires are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions; shifting the burning to cooler months reduces overall emissions.

Environmentally, the region is characterized by a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape features a mix of open forest, sandy hills, and "frontage country" with clay soils along the Clara and Yappar Rivers. Vegetation is typical of the Gulf Plains, supporting stands of Mitchell grass, spinifex, and box trees, which provide both grazing for cattle and fuel for the fire management activities.

Interesting history surrounds the property, which was established prior to 1884 and has changed hands several times, including a high-profile walk-in-walk-out sale in 2020 that included thousands of head of cattle. The project demonstrates how carbon farming can be integrated into active pastoral operations, utilizing the same land for both beef production and emissions reduction.