She made one notable voyage in 1820 to Australia, notable because her captain later published a detailed account with extensive economic, commercial, and other observational information about the Cape of Good Hope, Hobart Town (Van Diemen's Land), Port Jackson, and Rio de Janeiro.

The state of the British economy in 1820 not being strong, and the demand for vessels likewise being weak, a number of shipowners sought to transport emigrants to the Cape and Australia.

[6][a] Skelton sailed from South Africa on 14 October,[8] and the pilot brought her into port at Hobart Town on 27 November.

Skelton was carrying 181 bales of wool, 40 tons of timber and plank, 1680 kangaroo skins, a little wattle bark, and 2800 ox horns.

Among them were Westmoreland (1820), Castle Forbes (1821), Minerva (1822), Urania (1822), Skelton (1822), Andromeda (1822), Greenock (1823), Triton (1823), Portland (1824), and City of Edinburgh (1824).

[17] On 30 July 1828 Skelton, Percy, master, was sailing from Trinidad to London when she struck a rock 13' under water, some 10 miles west of Anguila.