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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after 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 sculpture.

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

She said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.