An Australian teenager has faced court for allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by sticking googly eyes on it.

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

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council said CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September.

“It is not harmless fun, it is costly – it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She said the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.