Skipton, Victoria
| Skipton Victoria | |
|---|---|
 Skipton | |
  Skipton | |
| Coordinates | 37°41′0″S 143°21′0″E / 37.68333°S 143.35000°ECoordinates: 37°41′0″S 143°21′0″E / 37.68333°S 143.35000°E |
| Population | 482 (2006)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 3361 |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Corangamite Shire |
| State electorate(s) | Ripon |
| Federal Division(s) | Wannon |
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. Part of the Shire of Corangamite LGA, Skipton is on the banks of Mount Emu Creek and at the 2006 census had a population of 482.[1] Skipton had 460 residents in 2001 census .
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.[2] 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.[3]
Golfers play at the course of the Skipton Golf Club on Geelong-Portland Road.[4]
Skipton Variety Market is held on every second Saturday of the month at the Mechanics Hall. Skipton Rose Festival is held on the first Saturday after the running of the Melbourne Cup in November each year.
2010 Floods
A number of Skipton residences and businesses were damaged in the floods on Sunday 5 September 2010. Skipton Hotel cellars were flooded and water damaged some of the hotel carpets on the ground floor. .[5]
Notable people
- Henry Bolte, the longest serving Premier of Victoria, grew up in Skipton.
- Henry Kingsley, author and brother of Charles Kingsley, worked on a pastoral station near Skipton for a time in 1857.
- Silent movie star Claire Adams married Scobie Mackinnon and settled at Mooramong homestead near Skipton in 1937.
- Australian Test cricketer Alan Connolly was born in Skipton in 1939.
- The Academy Is... guitarist Michael Guy Chislett was born in Skipton.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Skipton (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
- ↑ Full Points Footy, Central Highlands, retrieved 2009-04-15
- ↑ Golf Select, Skipton, retrieved 2009-05-11
- ↑ "Two towns, one creek: burst banks from Skipton to Darlington". ABC Ballarat.
External links
Media related to Skipton, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
- Community website
- Corangamite Shire Council - Official Site
- Ballarat-Skipton rail trail
- SMH Travel - Skipton page
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