I dined this day with my respected chief, Lieutenant-General Sir Maurice O'Connell at his beautiful villa, Tarmons [in Sydney's Potts Point] ... The family likeness between an Australian and an Old Country dinner party became, however, less striking when I found myself sipping doubtfully, but soon swallowing with relish, a plate of wallabi-tail soup, followed by a slice of boiled schnapper, with oyster sauce. A haunch of kangaroo venison helped to convince me that I was not in Belgravia. A delicate wing of wonga wonga pigeon with bread sauce, and a dessert of plantains and loquots, guavas and mandarine oranges, pomegranates and cherimoyas, landed my imagination at length fairly at the Antipodes.
Godfrey Mundy, dinner guest, 1846