Millionaire actor Russell Crowe is treating his new bride to a no-frills honeymoon which has included a stopover in the central Queensland town of Rockhampton.

Cruising around in a shiny black Mercedes, Crowe and his wife, Danielle Spencer, dined out on Red Rooster and other budget meals after checking into a local motel.

The celebrity couple married last Monday in a lavish ceremony at Crowe's Nana Glen Estate near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.

Their honeymoon plans had been a closely-guarded secret until they surfaced this weekend in - of all places - Rockhampton.

The camera-shy star couldn't have picked a worse time to visit. The usually quiet town was in the midst of a media frenzy over the bizarre story of Natasha Ryan - a local girl believed murdered who turned up alive and well last week.

Crowe almost managed to escape unnoticed, dropping into a local restaurant while most television crews and photographers were staking out the nearby police station.

The newlyweds' Rockhampton adventure began on Friday night when they ate at the Sumatra restaurant in the centre of town.

The casual eatery promotes itself as serving tasty and affordable meals from $5 (£1.90).

Crowe splashed out on the $13.50 (£5.20) beef fajitas, while Spencer chose a traditional caesar salad.

Their meal was washed down with a few glasses of the house white - a Rosemount Estate Melon Creek, one of the cheapest on the wine list at just $12.95 (£5).

The couple returned to the eatery on Saturday afternoon, cuddling at an outdoor table over a glass of water.

News of their presence spread to a quiet pub next door, but many of the 12-strong crowd of drinkers were sceptical when told a Hollywood heavyweight was sitting outside.

The locals used a little dog called Chelsea - who was tethered to the pub's front door - as a decoy. One by one, they went outside to pat the dog and peek at Crowe.

With his identity verified, Crowe and his bride were then welcomed by drinkers, who waltzed out for a chat and an autograph, although some admitted they had never seen any of his movies.

Back at the pub, bar manager Pauline Kozman voiced the question on everyone's mind: "Oh my God, why is he in Rocky?"


Herald Sun

Source: Press Release