Queensland king prawns, salted caramel espresso martinis, massages at their desk - the Labor high command were in a mood for celebrating on election eve.

Twenty-four hours later they would be crushed by a stunning loss to an opponent that had spent the final day racing through three electorates and two states in a last minute sprint to snatch victory from an almost certain defeat.

Labor's election night function in Melbourne. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The blame-game inside Labor is now in full swing, with many pointing squarely at its national HQ in Sydney's Parramatta.

On Friday, they booked out one of the area's most expensive restaurants, Sahra by the River, and followed up the prawns, barramundi and kafta with "kick-ons" at cocktail bar Alex & Co, according to internal messages seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.