MELBOURNE — Police have spoken to a thirsty West Australian man after he boarded his light plane and taxied it down a main street to get to his local pub.

The incident took place at around beer o'clock, or 2 p.m., on Friday afternoon, with witnesses telling police the plane had been driven from one end of Newman, a mining town of around 4,000 people, to the other.

So a plane pulls up to a pub. Aussies in Newman try to figure out an odd one. @thewest_com_au http://t.co/o1Aajalw49 pic.twitter.com/yemqPZXCaW — Ken Olsen LATimes (@KenGOlsen) November 2, 2014

Of particular concern was the timing, as the trip coincided with the end of the school day and kids making their way home after class.

"The danger is obviously taxiing a prop plane down Newman Drive, bearing in mind that kids have just come out of school," Newman Sergeant Mark Garner told ABC. "It's a busy Friday afternoon. I know it's Newman but we do get a fair bit of traffic."

Police arrived at the Newman Hotel to find a Beechcraft two-seater plane sitting inconspicuously in the carpark. After discussions with witnesses and securing the CCTV footage, they are now speaking with the owner of the plane who is said to be a 37-year-old male.

According to local reports, the staff of the Newman Hotel described the man as a "legend," nonchalantly waltzing into the bar while more than 200 locals gathered around.

Sgt. Garner told The West Australian the man had passed an initial breath-test, but still faces an uncertain future. "He is one of our local characters," he said. "I need to look at what the appropriate offence would be as it's a bit of an unusual one."

And it didn't take long for other police districts to join in on the fun on Twitter.

Best caption wins a Mars Bar and tour of @EsperancePol Station. Thanks #Newman Police for the chuckles pic.twitter.com/8y3QAnt8DH — Esperance Police (@EsperancePol) October 31, 2014

@EsperancePol " Look Sarge.. the Esperance Police Vehicles can save power by switching to airplane mode" pic.twitter.com/5jKLviFmug — Katanning Police (@KatanningPol) October 31, 2014