Harbour City Leads Crane Count in 2024

Rider Levett Bucknall’s Crane Index for the first quarter of 2024 shows sustained crane numbers across the eastern seaboard with its second-highest count on record. 

Sydney led the count, followed by Melbourne and Brisbane, which also chalked up strong crane numbers on their skylines this year. 

RLB’s Oceania director of research and development Domenic Schiafone said figures had been buoyant with 869 cranes on sites nationally. 

“The Q1 2024 RLB Crane Index has recorded the second highest count in the 24 editions of the index,” Schiafone said. 

“The large number of cranes observed correlates with national construction activity. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, total construction activity across Australia for the 2023 calendar year was up by 9 per cent, or $21 billion, compared to 2022.”

Schiafone said Sydney continued to lead crane activity. 

Of the 869 cranes counted, Sydney accounted for 309, Melbourne recorded 194, Brisbane had 78 cranes in the sky, while nearby Gold Coast had a further 61 cranes. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Hobart had just two active cranes recorded for the first quarter of 2024, and Darwin recorded none. 

According to the RLB Crane Index Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne and Newcastle recorded higher crane numbers for the quarter compared to six months prior.

An Amazon Fulfilment Centre under construction in Melbourne had the highest number of cranes on one site, with seven cranes active. 

“When comparing current and historical crane numbers for Melbourne, Sydney and nationally, Melbourne bounced back after falling for the two previous counts,” Schiafone said.

“Melbourne’s count of 194 cranes has climbed above the average number of cranes in Melbourne of 175 since the same period in 2015. 

“Current crane numbers in Sydney and nationally are well above their respective averages of 310 and 708.”

While Sydney may have led the pack its index figure had dipped 3 per cent on the previous quarter from 248 index points to 241 index points, which represents 390 cranes across the city. 

According to the RLB Crane Index Melbourne recorded a 9 per cent jump in crane numbers compared to the third quarter of 2023. 

The Gold Coast RLB Crane Index  remained steady at last month’s record index value of 407 points. Residential cranes continued to dominate the skies, accounting for 86.9 per cent of all cranes in the region.