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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing 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.

In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

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

A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

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

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.