STAR STRUCK

A SMALL crowd of about 100 fans and waiting media caught a glimpse of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the main street of Airlie Beach on Tuesday night.

IN TOWN: Fans were delighted to catch a glimpse of Hollywood celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt before they dined at Shipwrecked Seafood Bar and Grill in Airlie Beach on Tuesday night. Photo Sharon Smallwood / Whitsunday Times

A SMALL crowd of about 100 fans and waiting media caught a glimpse of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the main street of Airlie Beach on Tuesday night.

The world-famous couple were in the Whitsundays for the final two days of filming on Angelina's directorial debut, the movie 'Unbroken'.

Locations at Funnel Bay and Earlando were used to replicate Hawaii where some of the film's story is set.

When the cameras stopped rolling on Tuesday at the end of a 67-day shoot, the 130-strong cast and crew headed to Airlie's Shipwrecked Seafood Bar and Grill for their wrap party.

Angelina and Brad arrived at the restaurant in a white Mitsubishi Pajero at about 8.15pm.

Angelina wore strappy, metallic gold stilettos along with black pants and a camisole, while Brad seemed more casual in beige pants, a white, button-up shirt and hiking boots.

Despite a strong security presence, the couple went out of their way to greet local children and shake hands with fans.

Cannonvale resident Corinn Stickland described the atmosphere on the street as "just electric".

"Just the buzz of everyone screaming - people saying 'she touched me' and the fact they especially focused on the kids - I thought it was great," she said.

Other celebrity guests at the party included the Coen brothers Ethan and Joel, who are writers on the film and English actor Jack O'Connell, who plays the lead character Louis Zamperini.

Shipwrecked owner Geoff Smith is no stranger to hosting stars with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban having previously graced his doors.

However, even he conceded this was "just extraordinary".

"They're probably the most high profile couple in the world, but I can't imagine what it would be like to live like that - with the security and the caution - to see all that was an eye-opener," he said.

Mr Smith, whose entire staff served a stand-up style seafood buffet, said the word from the cast and crew was that "everybody loved the place".

"They were blown away and wanted to come back - their impression of the town was very positive," he said.

With so many extra people in the region since the weekend, Whitsunday mayor Jennifer Whitney estimated about $1million would have been injected into the local economy.

She said Council had been working hard behind the scenes, liaising with Screen Queensland and the Queensland Government, to secure the filming of some of the movie's scenes here.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie flew out of the Whitsunday Coast Airport shortly after 9am yesterday (Wednesday).

News of their Whitsunday visit has already spread worldwide.