Skipton

Named for a village in Yorkshire, Skipton also traces back to the Anglo-Saxon word for 'sheep town', which is perfectly apt as the Glenelg Highway township has long hosted fine wool sales.

It staged the first rural show in the State's Western District in 1859. The first regional station, Bamganie, was opened up in 1839, and beer began flowing in the Skipton Hotel in 1859.

The district showpiece is Mooramong homestead which dates back to the 1870s. The homestead and its furniture reflect the life and elegant style of its most famous owners, American silent movies star Claire Adams and her husband Scobie Mackinnon.

They bought the property in 1937 and remodelled the run-down interior in Art Deco style. The property remains an operating farm and the homestead is surrounded by a native flora and fauna reserve established according to the Mackinnons' wishes after Mooramong was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982.