Whitsunday Crane Hire 15T Franna and crew lifting the Big Mango in Bowen
About us · Cannon Valley, Whitsundays

About Whitsunday Crane Hire

A local, family-run crane hire business. Lofty and Casey Loft own and run it, and you'll deal with them directly, from the first quote to the last lift.

Est. 2007Locally owned & operated
20 yrsCrane experience
15T to 350TCrane range
24/7Call-outs
ISO 9001 · 14001 · 45001Triple certified
CICA memberCrane Industry Council
CraneSafeCrane safety standard
24/7 call-outsDay and night shifts
Lofty and Casey Loft, owners of Whitsunday Crane Hire, in front of their purple crane
Our story

Whitsunday crane hire since 2007

Whitsunday Crane Hire has been lifting across the region since 2007. Jack (Lofty) and Casey Loft took the business over in 2021 with one crane and one goal: to get Lofty home every night to be with the family.

Since then it has grown into a fleet of Franna and all-terrain cranes, a small crane truck, a larger truck for carrying equipment and a range of scissor lifts, covering everything from a backyard pool lift to ongoing mining work. For major projects we source bigger cranes, up to 350T. What hasn't changed is how we work. We take on the complex jobs, we do them safely, and we treat every site like it's in our own backyard, because usually it is.

And you can't miss us. Look for the purple cranes.

15T to 350T cranes

Frannas from 15T to 25T, a 55T and an 80T, with bigger cranes sourced to 350T.

Trucks and scissor lifts

A small crane truck, an equipment carry truck, and wheeled and tracked scissor lifts.

Triple ISO certified

9001, 14001 and 45001, CICA and CraneSafe.

24/7 call-outs

Day and night shifts available.

How we got here

From one crane to a full local fleet

2007

Lifting in the Whitsundays

The business starts crane hire and project logistics across the Whitsunday region.

2021

Lofty and Casey take over

The Lofts buy the business with a single crane and a plan to keep it local and family run.

GROWING

Bigger fleet, bigger jobs

Frannas from 15 to 25 tonne, a 55 tonne Zoomlion, an 80 tonne Grove, a crane truck, an equipment carry truck and scissor lifts.

TODAY

Certified and accredited

Triple ISO certified, a CICA member and CraneSafe accredited, with day and night shifts available.

Meet the owners

Lofty and Casey Loft

Two locals who grew up in Airlie Beach and now run the crane business that services it. Lofty runs the jobs, Casey runs the business.

Jack (Lofty) Loft, owner of Whitsunday Crane Hire

Jack (Lofty) Loft

Owner · Crane and Logistics Manager

Lofty has 20 years' experience working with cranes. He started out as a formwork labourer and carpenter, moved into rigging and shutdowns in the mines, and now runs Whitsunday Crane Hire. He's a qualified carpenter with a diploma in Building and Construction and Project Management.

Day to day, Lofty does a bit of everything: quoting, operating, rigging, and the site inspections, planning and logistics for every job. If you call about a lift, there's a good chance he'll be the one who looks at your site.

TICKETS AND LICENCES
CO open slewing craneRI intermediate riggingHC heavy combinationEWPWorking at heights
Off the job: fishing, live music and snowboarding.Call Lofty: 0438 461 185
Casey Loft, owner of Whitsunday Crane Hire

Casey Loft

Owner · Accounts and HR Manager

Casey keeps everything running behind the scenes: admin, accounts, quoting and organising the jobs. She has more than 10 years' administration experience, and has been part of the crane business for five years.

Before cranes, Casey was an employment consultant with Community Solutions, where she looked after more than 200 clients and was recognised with a National Employment Services Association Bright Star Award in 2017.

TICKETS
Dogging
Off the job: boating, water skiing and live music.Call Casey: 0438 060 694
Why customers choose us

What you get when you book with us

We get complex jobs done

Tight access, awkward loads and multi-crane lifts, planned properly and completed safely. Read more about construction, marine and industrial and rigging and dogman work.

Safety comes first

Lift plans and Safe Work Method Statements on every job, run under a certified safety system. Plan your lift with us.

You deal with the owners

Lofty and Casey quote, plan and run the jobs themselves. Call either of them directly.

On site fast, 24/7

Based at Cannon Valley, with call-outs around the clock and day and night shifts.

Safety and compliance

Certified, compliant and insured

Our management system is certified to ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environmental and ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety. It covers every job, every crane and every person on site. For any lift near powerlines, we follow the Queensland Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020: Working near overhead and underground electric lines.

  • Company and site inductions
  • Lift plans and Safe Work Method Statements
  • Hazard identification and risk management
  • Safety management plans
  • Scheduled plant and equipment maintenance
  • Emergency preparedness and response
  • Incident and investigations register
  • Training and regular upskilling

Certified, accredited and independently verified

Triple ISO certified by Equal Assurance. Member of the Crane Industry Council of Australia and CraneSafe accredited.

Whitsunday Crane Hire team of five in hi-vis in front of the Big Mango in Bowen
Our team

Qualified people on every lift

Behind every lift is a crew that's licensed, inducted and focused on doing the job right. Every team member completes our company induction and holds the relevant current licences before they start work.

  • Licensed crane operators, riggers and dogmen
  • Regular training, goal setting and upskilling
  • Every employee takes personal ownership of safety
Three Whitsunday Crane Hire cranes lifting the Big Mango in Bowen with a rigger guiding the load
Building our community

Proud to back the Whitsundays

We invest in the region we live and work in, through the infrastructure we help build and the local groups we support. Groups we've sponsored or supported include:

  • Whitsunday Brahmans
  • Whitsunday Allstars
  • Chez House of Dance
  • Whitsunday Dirt Riders Club
  • Proserpine SHS Awards
  • St Catherine's Colour Run
  • The Show Ball 2025
  • Whitsunday Netball 2025
  • KCM, 2023 to 2025
  • Horsepower Heroes
Areas we service

The Whitsundays and the islands

Lofty and Casey grew up here, and the business covers the whole Whitsunday region and the islands, plus mining work on the western sites from Coppabella to Collinsville.

ISLANDS

Whitsunday Islands

Lifts on the resort islands.

Hamilton IslandDaydream IslandHayman IslandLindeman Island
HOME BASE

Airlie Beach

Our home patch, close to the yard.

Airlie BeachCannonvaleShute HarbourJubilee PocketCannon Valley
REGION

Proserpine to Bowen

Across the rest of the region.

ProserpineMidge PointBowen
MINING

Western mine sites

Mine and industrial work out west.

CollinsvilleCoppabella

Talk to Lofty or Casey about your lift

Free, no-obligation quotes and on-site assessments. Call-outs 24/7, staffed yard hours Monday to Friday, 6am to 4pm.