Cranes Show Construction Strong

Australia’s construction industry is still going strong, according to the latest Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index, which shows an increase in the number of cranes on work sites throughout the country.

The Q3 2025 index shows 845 cranes are operating on construction sites, with more than half, 498, on residential projects.

This is an increase from the first quarter of the year, when there were 484 cranes working on residential projects.

Residential construction now accounts for 58.9% of all crane activity. Other construction sectors recording increases in crane numbers include mixed-use developments (up from 103 to 108 cranes) and data centres (up from 29 to 32 cranes).

Sydney leads Australia for crane activity with 370 operating across its skyline, followed by Melbourne with 199, Brisbane, 73, Perth, 39, Adelaide, 26, Canberra, 12  and Darwin, 4.

The data also shows high levels of construction in major regional areas, particularly coastal locations.

The Gold Coast has 67 cranes operating, up from 59 at the start of the year; the Sunshine Coast has 13, Wollongong has 29, Newcastle has 9 and the Central Coast has 13.

RLB research director Oliver Nichols says construction activity remains steady across Australia, with crane levels above the long-term average.

“Despite the overall drop in crane numbers from a year ago, the crane index metrics, together with the construction work data, and approvals point to a sector that remains stable while reallocating resources,” he says.

Australian Bureau of Statistics June quarter data shows total construction activity is up by 3%..