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

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the art piece.

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

She added the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

At the time the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.