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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.

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

The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.