Chart of the day: Despite the house price downturn, it's still raining cranes
Six large cranes tower over buildings on Brisbane's skyline, taken at sunset facing Newstead from across the river. (ABC News: Tim Swanston)
With Australia's population topping 25 million this year, our major cities are not just spreading out, they're also stepping up.
Construction cranes have become a permanent feature of the urban landscape as developers compete to build more apartment and office towers and governments play catch-up with infrastructure.
The latest edition of the RLB Crane Index shows that crane numbers in Australia have hit an all-time high of 735, up from 684 at the last count.
Sydney retains its mantle as crane capital of Australia, but has recorded a net loss of 21 cranes — by far the biggest drop in the survey.
Other urban centres are taking up the slack, including the Central Coast, just north of Sydney, which saw a net gain of 15 cranes.
But the biggest mover was Melbourne. With the Victorian capital on track to become Australia's most populous city by 2030, the city recorded a net gain of 35 cranes.
What should I read next?
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- Off-the-plan apartment pain as property prices fall
- From skyscraper to 'plyscraper': Timber to challenge concrete and steel
- What's it like to live in our fastest-growing suburb?
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