The latest biannual crane index shows the Gold Coast now hosts 75 cranes, its highest count on record and up by 30 in just the first quarter of 2026, while Brisbane has slipped back to 64. Only six months earlier the picture was reversed, with Brisbane sitting on 73 cranes and the Gold Coast at 67, so this sharp swing signals how quickly construction momentum can shift between the two cities.
The report sits within a broader national building upswing, with 838 cranes operating across Australia and total construction activity reaching a record $318bn. New South Wales holds the largest share, with 46% of all cranes and 346 active in Sydney in early 2026, slightly down from 370 six months before. Victoria accounts for 25% of cranes, with Melbourne’s total climbing to 207, largely driven by major transport projects such as a key freeway link and a suburban rail programme that together use 72 cranes, even though the city still sits below its 2019 peak.
On the Gold Coast, around 70 of the 75 cranes are tied to residential towers, meaning about 93% of local activity is focused on housing rather than commercial or civil work. The remaining cranes support a handful of aged care, industrial and education projects, hinting at a city still dominated by private apartment development but gradually diversifying. Industry analysts say this lift in activity follows a late 2025 wave of planning approvals and reflects strong developer confidence in population growth, buyer demand and the push to get shovel-ready projects underway well before the 2032 Olympics puts extra strain on labour and materials.
Across South East Queensland, however, the overall crane count has edged down from 153 to 147 as more cranes came down than went up, and Brisbane’s 64 cranes now sit below its average for the past decade. About 78% of cranes across the region still belong to residential projects, with health and mixed-use schemes making up the next largest sectors, including major work at two large hospitals and a riverfront precinct in Brisbane. Observers suggest local activity looks set to stay solid in the short term as current builds continue, but the top spot for crane numbers may swing back and forth between Brisbane and the Gold Coast as a strong pipeline of Brisbane projects moves into construction and the Gold Coast evolves into a more mature, investment-friendly city.
