Ward Belt (originally known as ''Ward's Belt'') is a locality to the west of
Gawler
Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...
in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
The area was named after James Ward and his wife, who arrived in South Australia in the ''Olivia'' in 1853. The area is predominantly used for grain, beef and sheep farming.
When the
Max Fatchen Expressway
Northern Expressway, also known as the Fatchen Northern Expressway, is a 21 kilometre long controlled-access highway in Adelaide, South Australia. Since March 2020, the North–South Motorway continues west of Port Wakefield Highway and inters ...
was completed in 2011, it divided
Buchfelde so the portion north of the expressway was reassigned to Ward Belt.
This included the area of the
Gawler Aerodrome which was formerly in Buchfelde but is now in Ward Belt.
Primitive Methodist Chapel
The foundation stone for the
Primitive Methodist
The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834).
In the United States, the Primiti ...
chapel at Ward's Belt was laid on 26 February 1874. The land and building materials for the chapel were donated by Mr James Sparshott J.P. The chapel opened on 26 April the same year. The chapel was renovated in 1894. The chapel was pulled down in 1926. Sparshott is buried in the small cemetery that is all that remains of the chapel.
Hotel
There had also been a hotel at Ward Belt, although it was very run down in 1912.
References
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Towns in South Australia