society began agitating for their own hall in 1861 and completed it in 1862. Wynd suggests that it is unclear if this was merely the completion of the prior hall, or an entirely new building. The building survives today, and is now home to the Theatre of the Winged Unicorn. A third hotel, the Barrabool Inn, was built in 1861. The village grew in population into the 1890s, but had begun its decline before this. The Wheat Sheaf Inn and the Rising Sun hotels closed in the 1870s. Most of the Wheat Sheaf Inn was demolished, apart from the dining room, which was retained as a hayshed. It was later damaged in a storm, and the stone donated to the Shire of Barrabool. The Rising Sun was demolished entirely. The Barrabool Inn operated until 1909, when its license lapsed and it became a private house; it was demolished in the twentieth century. The Ceres Post Office closed in 1962. Ceres today The town has grown since the beginning of the 21st century, although it remains a country atmosphere, including by keeping old gas lights along its main street (lit with electricity). A number of historical homesteads can be found in the township and surrounding hills. Many are constructed from locally hewn Barrabool sandstone. Ceres Primary School, dating from 1875, continues to operate, and had 86 students in 2013. The Uniting Church maintains an active congregation at their church in Wheatsheaf Street, with services held monthly in rotation with their Barrabool and Moriac churches. The town is home to the Theatre of the Winged Unicorn, a fringe theatre group, which operates out of the former Temperance Hall. Ceres is also home to the Barrabool Rural Fire Brigade which is located on 15 Wheatsheaf Street, Ceres. The Barrabool Cricket Club is also based in Ceres fielding four senior men's teams in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association, a senior women's team in the Barwon Women's Cricket Competition and four junior teams in the Geelong Junior Cricket Association. Notable people Singer and songwriter, local Taylor Henderson, achieved fame after becoming runner-up in the 2013 season of The X Factor Australia. References External links Australian Places: Ceres Ceres Geelong Victoria images on Flickr Towns in Victoria (Australia) 1850 establishments in Australia Suburbs of Geelong