McSkimming was the eldest of five children. As part of an Air Force family she travelled extensively around Australia. In 1964 the family moved to the Northern Territory and McSkimming lived in Darwin with her family until 1975. In 1979 McSkimming went to Adelaide and was closely associated with the Friendly Street Poets. She was a regular reader there from 1982-1992, and also read on radio 5UV and in other Adelaide venues. McSkimming was a founding member of Tantrum Press.
McSkimming moved to Melbourne where she worked for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Oxfam Australia) and was Acting Executive Director in 2004. She also worked as a bank teller and later as a consultant in human resource management. McSkimming was on the committee of the Country and City Women Writers' Association. Her work has appeared in a lesbian edition of the literary journal, Cargo.
