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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

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

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

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.