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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 plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count 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 “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued 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 disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.