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A young person 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.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge 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.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.