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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

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

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.