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A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

She said the council would pursue the “significant” 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 price tag and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.