Adelaide has beaten its own crane record for the second consecutive count, with the city now home to 29 cranes and a score of 483 on the latest RLB Crane Index – the highest in Adelaide's history and the highest of any capital city in the nation.
The latest RLB Crane Index confirms Adelaide's position as Australia's construction powerhouse, with the city's score of 483 sitting well clear of Canberra at 440, Sydney at 214, Melbourne at 178, Perth at 93 and Brisbane at 88.
Adelaide has added three cranes since the last count, growing from 26 to 29, with new projects spanning defence, residential, commercial, education and hotel developments – a sign of confidence in the South Australian economy under the Malinauskas Labor Government.
Meanwhile, a brand-new crane has been installed since the release of the Crane Index at Wirra Mikangka, a landmark 151-apartment development in Eastwood that has now begun construction.
The $85 million build-to-rent project, delivered by Housing Choices South Australia and built by Hindmarsh Construction, will feature a nine-storey and a five-storey building overlooking the southeastern Park Lands on the edge of the CBD.
Of the 151 apartments, 121 will be offered to people on low and moderate incomes, including those on the SA Single Housing Register, with 30 available at market rent – making it one of South Australia's largest integrated housing projects.
Wirra Mikangka replaces aging walk-up flats with high-quality, energy-efficient home, with ground-floor retail and hospitality to bring the precinct to life.
The project is backed by a partnership funding model between the Albanese Labor Government, the Malinauskas Labor Government through SA Housing Trust and Housing Choices South Australia, who will manage the homes under a 49-year Ground Lease. Residents are expected from late 2027.
Residential projects continue to lead activity, with 13 cranes – or 45 per cent of all cranes – working on housing developments across the city. The commercial sector has grown from 5 to 7 cranes, and health sector cranes have increased from 5 to 6.
The crane count reflects a construction industry firing on all cylinders. According to the Index, total construction work done in South Australia in 2025 was $20.7 billion, up 13.3 per cent on 2024. Residential activity grew by 16.3 per cent, non-residential activity rose by 12.8 per cent and engineering increased by 11.6 per cent.
New cranes added since the last count include three defence cranes at Edinburgh RAAF Base, Festival Tower Two and Adelaide Airport in the commercial sector, and residential projects at Glenside, Bowden, Glenelg and the CBD.
The RLB Crane Index is the latest national scorecard that South Australia leads, with the Business Council of Australia describing South Australia as the best place to do business and the Housing Industry Association ranking SA's housing industry and planning system as the nation's best.
Quotes
Attributable to Nick Champion
This is yet another scorecard that demonstrates that there is no other capital city in the country that is seeing this kind of momentum.
Adelaide is open for business and the cranes across our skyline are the proof.
Nearly half the cranes across Adelaide right now are building more homes for South Australians.
Wirra Mikangka is a perfect example of what that looks like on the ground - 151 new homes on the edge of the CBD, the majority going to people on low and moderate incomes.
The only thing that will put downward pressure on the cost of housing is building more homes, and right now, no city in Australia is building like Adelaide.
Attributable to Mark Hayward, Executive Group Director Homes, Housing Choices Australia
Adelaide’s record-breaking 29 cranes show the city’s construction momentum, and Wirra Mikangka is proof of Housing Choices turning that momentum into homes for South Australians.
With 151 homes, mostly for low- and moderate-income residents, we are building vibrant, inclusive communities close to the city.
Housing Choices is proud to partner with Government and industry to deliver high-quality, sustainable housing that keeps pace with the city’s growth.
Attributable to Dr Catherine Earl, CEO, South Australian Council of Social Services
This development is a great example of how old and inadequate Housing Trust stock can be transformed into better quality social housing – we would like to see more of it, so that South Australians waiting for social housing can access the homes they need.
With the addition of below-market rental stock for those on moderate incomes, we hope that developments like this will help to take pressure off the private rental market. We are also encouraged by the fact that these new dwellings will be of much better quality, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, than what was previously there.
