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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.