BACK in the 1930s, the Silkwood Brickworks was a hive of activity, churning out the building blocks for many prominent local buildings.

Indeed the bricks for the Silkwood Hotel, the church, school, convent, bowling club and ambulance centre all came from the brickworks.

Today the brickworks along with the the nearby homestead and its gardens are quiet places, with only bird calls to disturb the peace.

While the brick makers will never return, real estate agents believe the homestead, near Innisfail, would be an ideal tourist attraction.

In recent years its owners the Davis family have opened up the park for visitors both to the brickworks and nature lovers who admire the lakes, gardens and trees.

Bette Davis and her late husband Barry built the gardens after buying the 4.7ha (11.5-acre) homestead back in 1986.

There are five bores on the property so there is plenty of water.

Other prominent buildings built using Silkwood bricks include the hospital and the Canecutter Hotel in Innisfail as well as many homes in Atherton, Babinda, Cairns, Ingham, Mareeba, Townsville and Tully.

It operated for the best part of 50 years, closing about 1980.

Much of the land was sold for cane farms, while brickworks site changed hands several times before it was bought by its current ownersin 1986.

At the time, the site had become a mess of rubble overgrown by tall, lank grass, sickly Pandanus Palms and gaping pits with murky water.

The Davis family's desire to retain a historically-important place has resulted in beautiful park it is today.

The homestead is open for inspections between 11am and noon each Sunday.

The listed sale price is $980,000.

More information, call Di Wagner Real Estate on 0419 685 495.

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