The Barrabool Road Board, the forerunner of the Shire of Barrabool, met in the evening on the last Friday of each month at the Chamber of Commerce building, 81 Moorabool Street, Geelong. In 1862 they began meeting at the new office at Mount Moriac.  The secretary attended the shire hall on Thursdays from 10 am to 3 pm.

Barrabool had purchased two acres in Hendy Main Road, north of Colac Road for £24. On this land they erected a hall costing £399. It was the meeting place of the Barrabool Road Board, and then the shire council from the time of its formation in 1865. " In that year council improved the building, accepting John Peter's tender of £84/10/- for the erection of stables and fences and the making of a covered drain. Later an inner porch was added and the interior was furnished with two small tables, two chairs, a hat tree for the councillors and seats for ratepayers. In 1867 John Malone was granted the right to grow vegetables on the ground at the back of the hall, but in 1868 council decided to do its own planting — with trees and shrubs supplied by Daniel Bunce, curator of the Geelong Botanic Gardens. Vandals later uprooted a dozen or more of these soon after planting — a £10 reward for apprehension of the culprits was offered. This destruction occurred despite the appointment of Edward Carroll as caretaker in November 1866 at £10 per annum. The sum paid fluctuated over the years, rising as high as £20, and the duties of messenger and bill poster were added to the post. Carroll resigned in 1885 and was replaced by Michael Gurrie. The latter refused to accept a reduction of his remuneration in the depression year of1894 and Reuben Clarke was appointed. He in turn was replaced by James Buckley in 1898" . from Barrabool Land of the Magpie by Ian Wynd
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Before the council offices in Moorabool Street, South Geelong were used, council business was carried on for a time at the home of the secretary/engineer, Henry Moors in Drumcondra, later at the Geelong and Cressy building at the corner of Malop and Yarra Streets, followed by the Colonial Mutual Assurance Society building in Malop Street Geelong.

Brick offices built in front of the  former Order of the Sons of Temperance building at 441-3 Moorabool Street, South Geelong became the next shire office. This was done at a cost of £13,000. Later the offices were moved to Grossmans Road, Torquay.

John, son of John and Mary (née Tennant) Preston married Hannah, daughter of Joseph and Ann (née Snow) Jones on 12 January 1829 at St Andrew's, Oddington, Oxfordshire, England. They were both born in Oxfordshire, John in Oddington and Hannah in Headington. In 1844 the emigrated to Australia, arriving as assisted immigrants on 22 September 1844 on the ​Abberton. Shipping records give John's age as 38 and Hannah's as 40. They brought with them their eight children — ​Alice (14), John (13), Thomas (11), Robert (10), Harriett (8), Ann (6), Emily (4) and Martha (1).
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​John and Hannah's children:
​Alice​ — born in 1829 at Woodeaton in Oxfordshire England, married Edward Johns on 8 March 1846 at Buntingdale, Birregurra, died 30 December 1905 at North Melbourne aged 76 years, buried at the Springvale Necropolis
John ​— born on 26 December 1830 at Woodeaton, married Roseanna Nestor Clark in 1854, died 17 July 1889 at Ballarat, buried at the New Ballarat Cemetery
Thomas​ — born on 9 December 1832 at Woodeaton, married Matilda Browne in 1855, died 31 August 1902 aged 69 years at Mount Duneed, buried in the Methodist section of the Mount Duneed Cemetery
Robert​ — born on 1832 at Weedeaton, married Jane Wilson Paterson on 10 April 1868 at her home in Maude Street, Geelong, died 11 October 1882 aged 48 at Roseworth Farm Mount Duneed, buried in the Methodist section of the Mount Duneed Cemetery
Harriett — born on 1836 at Islip in Oxfordshire England, died 1871 aged 35 at Sebastopol, buried at Mount Duneed Cemetery in an unknown location
Ann ​— born on 1838 at Islip, married James Neal on 17 June 1856 at the Geelong Presbyterian Manse, died on 1 April 1904 aged 66 years at Bairnsdale, buried at Bairnsdale Cemetery
Emily — born on 29 June 1840 at Islip, married James Pearce on 25 September 1855 at Cornwall England​, died in May 1926 aged 85 years at Sebastopol, buried in the Wesleyan A section of the New Ballarat Cemetery
Martha — born on 23 December 1842 at Islip, married Walter Charles Hermann Krentzin on 17 July 1867, died in 1926 at Perth

Two of John and Hannah's children, Robert and Thomas, were farmers at Mount Duneed. ​