Originally raised as the "5th Combat Engineer Regiment" in 1995 from the 4th Field Engineer Regiment, it is based in Holsworthy, Sydney, with one of its sub-units based at the multi-user depot HMAS Harman, in Canberra and another at Orchard Hills and Dundas.

Some of the unit's subunits draw lineage from the 4th and 5th Field Companies, which were raised for service during World War I.

[1] In late 2013, the regiment was reorganised, when two sub-units – 101st Construction Squadron and the Littoral and Riverine Survey Squadron – were transferred from the 21st Construction Regiment, following the decision to disband that unit.

[1] The LRSS was transferred to the School of Military Engineering in January 2016, and as of 2017 was being utilised to evaluate several new capabilities as well as running several courses and camps.

[4] The regiment's primary role is to provide engineer support to the 5th Brigade, including contributing to the brigade's generation of Battle Group Waratah in support of the 7th Brigade under Plan Beersheba.