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

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.