Skipton, Victoria

Skipton /ˈskɪptən/ is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Skipton is in the Shire of Corangamite LGA and is on the banks of Mount Emu Creek. At the 2016 census, Skipton had a population of 586, considerably less than the population of 927 at the 2011 census.[2] Skipton is named after Skipton, in Yorkshire, England and is known as "the home of the platypus".

Skipton
Victoria
Skipton
Skipton
Coordinates37°41′0″S 143°21′0″E
Population586 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3361
Location
LGA(s)Corangamite Shire
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)Wannon

History

Skipton was first established in 1839 as a pastoral run and a town site was surveyed in 1852. The town was settled some years later, with a local Post Office opening on the 6th of March 1858.[3] The town held the first agricultural show in the Western District in 1859. Skipton once had a Magistrates' Court, but it closed on the 1st of January 1983.[4]

Culture

Economy

Fine wool is the main agricultural product of the Skipton area. Skipton Variety Market is held on every second Saturday of the month at the Mechanics Hall. A Rose Festival is held on the first Saturday after the running of the Melbourne Cup in November each year.

Sport and recreation

A rail trail allows cyclists to ride between Skipton and Ballarat. Skipton has a football club competing in the Central Highlands Football League. Golfers play at the course of the Skipton Golf Club on Geelong-Skipton Road.

Skipton Presbyterian Church

Notable people

References
  1. "2016 Census QuickStats Skipton". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Skipton (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  4. "Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria" (PDF). Auditor-General of Victoria. 1986. p. 79. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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