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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

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

A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in 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 “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

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

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.