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A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

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

When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag 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 local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.