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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

She added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

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

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.