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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate 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 costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

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

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.