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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.