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

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the council would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.