Clairview
This seaside community is a popular spot for fishing and crabbing. It is also home to a fully protected dugong sanctuary. Dugongs, an endangered marine mammal, can often be spotted from the shore when they surface to breathe, or in the water, when in a kayak, boat or other recreational vessel. Be sure to slow down your vessel in areas dugongs are known to inhabit.
Exploring Clairview
- Wander along the soft sand and set a line straight off the beach
- Watch dugongs basking in their natural habitat
- Relax the day away at one of the many beachside picnic spots
- Use the boat ramp to spend a day on the water and maybe even spot a dugong up close
Dugong Marine Sanctuary
The dugong is a large herbivorous mammal which spends its entire life in the sea. It has paddle-like forelimbs, no hind limbs or dorsal fin, and its tail is broad and horizontally flattened. Adults grow to between 2.5m to 3.5m long and weigh about 230kg to 420kg. The dugong is the only species remaining in the family Dugongidae and is one of only four remaining species in the mammalian order of Sirenia. The dugong is found round the northern coastline of Australia, and there is an estimated 14,000 between Cape York and Moreton Bay. The dugong is listed as a “vulnerable” species under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, and face a number of threats, especially from loss of seagrass and consequent starvation. Boat strikes can also kill this vulnerable mammal. So, when boating please keep a sharp eye out for these slow-moving creatures, which often feed in shallow water over tidal sandbanks.