Skipton, Victoria

Skipton 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. Part of the Shire of Corangamite LGA, Skipton is on the banks of Mount Emu Creek and at the had a population of 927, including surrounding areas. The locality of Skipton had 460 residents at the.Skipton is named after Skipton, in Yorkshire, England and is known as "the home of the platypus".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 and the Post Office opened on 6 March 1858. The town held the first agricultural show in the Western District in 1859.Fine wool is the main agricultural product of the Skipton area. A rail trail allows cyclists to ride between Skipton and Ballarat.Skipton has a football club competing in the Central Highlands Football League.