RLB CRANE INDEX®

Crane numbers increased strongly in the North, up 22 to 49, driven by residential and data centre activity. Numbers also rose in the South, up 9 to 34; CBD & Surrounds, up 7 to 63; and the West, up 6 to 39. The East fell 20 to 38. Geelong declined by 3 to 1.

Residential projects now account for 48% of all cranes in Melbourne, up from 41% in Q1 2026 and back to levels seen through much of 2021 to 2025. Data centres/industrial projects account for 31 cranes (14%), up from 20 in Q1 2026. Two major transport projects, the North East Link and Suburban Rail Loop, together account for 42 of Melbourne’s 224 cranes (19%), down from Q1 2026. Commercial crane numbers increased from 4 to 8 but remain below the 13 recorded in Q3 2025 and 25 in 2022.

Major projects:

• Suburban Rail Loop (24 cranes across multiple sites)
• North East Link (18 cranes across multiple sites)
• NEXTDC M2 data centre expansion, Tullamarine (nine cranes)
• LA1 Laverton data centre, Laverton (six cranes)
• New Melton Hospital, Cobblebank (five cranes)
• STACK Infrastructure MEL02 data centre, Truganina (five cranes)
• Amazon AWS data centre, Cobblebank (four cranes)
• Regatta at Collins Wharf, Docklands (four cranes)

Melbourne Inner saw a 7-crane increase this edition, bringing the regional total to 63. Over the past six months, 32 cranes were added and 25 removed. Residential projects account for 46 cranes, reflecting a net increase of 4.

Melbourne’s East saw a 20-crane decrease this edition, bringing the regional total to 38. Over the past six months, 19 cranes were added and 39 removed. The decline was driven by a net reduction of 23 civil cranes as activity on the North East Link progressed and more mobile cranes were utilised.

Melbourne’s North saw a 22-crane increase this edition, bringing the regional total to 49. Over the past six months, 31 cranes were added and 9 removed. Residential activity increased by 12 cranes, while data centre/industrial activity increased by 10 cranes.

Melbourne’s South saw a 9-crane increase this edition, bringing the regional total to 34. Over the past six months, 20 cranes were added and 11 removed. Residential activity drove the increase, rising by 9 cranes to a total of 19. Health also increased by 3 cranes.

Melbourne’s West saw a 6-crane increase this edition, bringing the regional total to 39. Over the past six months, 13 cranes were added and 7 removed. Data centre/industrial construction continues to dominate the region, with 20 cranes operating, representing just over half of the West’s total.

Geelong recorded a decrease of 3 cranes this edition, bringing the regional total to 1. Over the past six months, one crane was added and four were removed.

The remaining crane is at the Novotel Geelong project, the region’s only new addition. Three health cranes and one residential crane were removed. Total construction work in Victoria rose 0.2% in 2025-26 compared with 2024-25. Engineering fell by 8.1%, residential activity grew by 2.4%, and non-residential activity rose by 8.4%.