Barrass was born in Melbourne and moved to Sydney when he was young. He held the Australian diving championship from 1927 to 1930, and served with the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II. Clive Barrass was a co-founder of Australian Guide Book Co. with Cecil Gregory in 1933. Together they produced the first Gregory’s Street Directory of Sydney and Suburbs. Maps drafted or drawn by Clive Barrass were published under his personal name, as well as his company name, the Clive Barrass Map Publishing Company.