10.41: That’s it for our coverage tonight. A surprisingly upbeat tone at the Labor HQ – they’re considering this an honourable loss – and outright jubilation among the Liberals. For SA Best and Nick Xenophon – devastation.

10.25PM: Marshall thanks former Prime Minister John Howard, whome he said offered him all the advice he needed after the last eleciton.

“A majority Government will be able to drive the reform agenda we so desperately need. We can build a brighter future for South Australia. A better future for South Australia.”

10.17PM: Marshall is speaking about a “new dawn”: “I would like to thank Jay Weatherill for his service. I’d like to thank the people of South Australia who have put their trust in me.”

The Liberals have “a policy agenda to transform our great state of South Australia”.

Acknowledges Vincent Tarzia, and also mentions Duncan McFetridge (but some in the crowd shout “shame”).

10.15PM: Nick Xenophon says Hartley is looking grim, but he believes the party will have a strong presence in the Upper House. “We will be analysing what happened to see what we can be doing better next time round.”

10.14PM: Steven Marshall is introduced to the chanting crowd at Liberal HQ by former Premier and current party president John Olsen.

10PM: Liberal supporters scream with joy as Weatherill announces his concession: it’s been a long time between drinks.

9.58PM: To his two daughters, Weatherill says “you are about to get your daddy back”. To the gathered supporters: “We’ll be back.”

9.55PM: Remains on point with his favourite rhetoric, talking about the “vibrancy” of the city and the “small bars” that have sprung up.

Says Labor leaves government united, with a strong sense of purpose and “our heads held high”.

9.53PM: To raucous cheers, Weatherill says 16 years of Labor had achieved extraordinary things. Says predecessor Mike Rann was an extraordinary premier.

“There are not too many things more impotant than to leave the place better than we found it and I think we can say that with great pride.”

9.50PM: Weatherill says of his opponent: “One of the things we both agree on is that this is a great state and he has all of our support to take on this most important role.”

Singles out Leon Bignell in Mawson – says he hopes he can get over the line after an “extraordinary battle”.

9.48PM: Huge cheers for Jay Weatherill as he arrives.

He has conceded defeat to Steven Marshall.

9.45PM: Pretty ebullient mood at Labor HQ despite the loss.

9.43PM: Liberal candidate for Newland Richard Harvey says the seat is close, but the Liberals are ahead. “It’ll be a few days before we have a final result.”

9.38PM: Liberal HQ erupts with cries of “Vincent, Vincent” as Vincent Tarzia arrives.

“All going well we’re going to have a majority Marshall Government,” he says.

9.37PM: Nick Xenophon is looking very dejected, but still posing for photos with supporters.

9.28PM: Jay Weatherill expected any moment. Actually make that 9.45.

9.24PM: Labor figures are gathering, it seems almost certain to mark the end of 16 years of Government. Former Treasurer Kevin Foley, current Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis and others are in the room waiting for Jay Weatherill to appear.

9.19PM: Labor has likely lost, but they haven’t been routed. It brings to mind Tom Richardson’s piece yesterday.

9.17PM: Getting very crowded at Liberal HQ. There are some hugs, triumphant fists raised, but mostly loud conversation over drinks as the party faithful wait for Steven Marshall to appear.

9.10PM: Labor HQ is preparing for the arrival of Jay Weatherill. Meanwhile, a volunteer for Vincent Tarzia says the Liberal MP had a lot of volunteers on the ground to see off the Xenophon threat. “He did his homework… he did his campaign really well this time.”

9.08PM: No-one predicted this would be done and dusted on Saturday night. Very low primary votes for the major parties, but a relatively clear overall result. Liberal frontbencher John Gardner is geeing up the Liberal faithful: “They want a change of Government and I’m optimistic that they are going to see their desire happen.”

9.03PM: Applause and shouting at Liberal HQ as Channel Nine calls the election for the Liberals.

8.57PM: The mood is starting to get a bit awkward at the SA Best party. People are starting to leave.

8.52PM: It looks as though the result, by and large, has gone in line with the electoral redistribution. Vindication for the Liberals at last?

8.41PM: Antony Green says the Liberals will be able to form Government in their own right, prompting cheers at Liberal HQ, groans at SA Best and complete indifference at the Labor shindig.

8.40PM: Two punters at the Hackney Hotel Liberal party tell our reporter they have nothing to do with politics – they’re just here for the free drinks…

8.34PM: Crowds are growing at the Labor party at Westies football club. The mood is middling.

8.31PM: Cautious optimism from Liberal frontbencher David Ridgway, who says he has “been in this position before, where you’re in front (but it goes the other way)”.

8.30PM: Steph Richards reports from the SA Best HQ that volunteers say the feeling at polling booths was “mixed” and “so, so”. General feeling seems to be that SA Best won’t make huge shockwaves.

8.26PM: Still no numbers for Liberal leader Steven Marshall’s seat of  Dunstan. None.

8.24PM: SA Best’s vote is lower than all the latest opinion polls. ABC says while Labor and Liberal are looking like winning 19 seats so far, with independents on three and SA Best one, the seats to come are all on the Liberal side of the pendulum.

8.20PM: It looks like it’s over for Labor survivor Tom Kenyon in Newland. Liberal Richard Harvey seems likely to take the seat. Things are looking tougher for Labor all the time.

8.11PM: Xenophon says Hartley is “line ball”.

“It’s not over until it’s over.”

He says SA Best will have a presence in both houses of parliament.

8.09PM: Nick Xenophon has gone early with a speech to the faithful.

“This is not the beginning of the end, it’s the end of the beginning.”

“It’s been quite an election campaign and we’ve tried very hard…. The results have been mixed but we are here to shake up the two party duppoly.”

“We have come second in a number of seats… That’s a really good foundation to build on.”

8.05PM: Former Liberal minister Wayne Matthew has told Bension Siebert that he believes SA Best may have failed to post volunteers to distribute “how to vote” cards at several booths.

“From a number of booths I heard there weren’t enough people handing out (how to vote cards),” he said. “Not any (SA Best volunteers) in some booths.

It would have been “very, very hard” to summon a large volunteer base for the fledgeling party, he added.

He’s predicting the Libs will win 22 seats, Labor 19, three for SA Best and three for independents – no chance of a Labor majority government.

7.56PM: Nick Xenophon is in a bit of strife in Hartley. Shouts of “yeah” at Liberal HQ as TV coverage shows positive early results for Vincent Tarzia.

7.53PM: Labor is not seeing baseball bats so far. Party believes things are looking better than they might appear at this early stage. However, as Antony Green has pointed out several times, if not much happens then that will favour the Liberals due to the redistribution.

7.50PM: Adelaide tightening up a bit – hearing a few booths haven’t gone as expected for Libs.

7.45PM: On early numbers, all parties bar SA Best, of course, are losing votes, with the Liberals losing the biggest share. Family First’s decision to join forces with the Conservatives hasn’t done them any favours, but Upper House is the main game for them.

7.38PM: Good old Antony Green computer has given 12 seats to Labor, 14 to the Liberals and two to others. Nearly 10% of votes counted.

7.36PM: Early counting in Hartley has Nick Xenophon in second place behind the Liberal incumbent Vincent Tarzia. Meanwhile, punters at the SA Best party are wondering about the symbolism of ham and pineapple pizza being handed around.

7.24PM: The ABC election computer is predicting the Liberals’ Rachel Sanderson to retain the seat of Adelaide. Also predicting Labor’s Tom Koutsantonis to retain West Torrens and Jon Gee to retain Taylor, despite a big move of votes to SA Best.

7.21PM: Nick Xenophon is handing around pizza to journalists…. Not many numbers of note to report yet.

7.09PM: Antony Green is suggesting there is little shift so far in sentiment. Nothing much to see here – yet.

7.08PM: Nick Xenophon is predicting three or four Lower House seats for this party.

“I still think there will be some surprises with the northern seats… It’s still too early – don’t write me off yet.”

7.06PM: Bension Siebert reports from Liberal HQ that Liberal frontbencher David Ridgway believes there is “a mood for change” at voting booths he attended today.

He seems to have based that opinion mainly on the fact there was a strong turnout of voters in the morning, rather than later in the day. He added that plenty of people rejected all “how to vote” cards.

There’s maybe 100 people at Liberal HQ now, sausage rolls being served, plus journalists waiting around for their next live cross.

Channel Nine’s election coverage is monopolising the tv screens here, to the chagrin of some media competitors in attendance.

6:54PM: Still tiny numbers in: but some early moves towards SA Best in country based seats of Hammond and Finniss and the Hills seat of Heysen. But – very small numbers. The ABC’s Antony Green says there are significant figures for SA Best, but too early to say if it will be sufficient to translate into seats.

6.49PM: Overheard at the SA Best event: a senior party member predicting three lower house seats and two for the upper house.

6.44PM: Not sure it adds much light, but a Nine news exit poll is predicting a narrow Liberal victory. It found a further slide in SA Best’s primary vote – down to 15%.

6.38PM: Nick Xenophon has arrived at the SA Best function, to only a small smattering of applause – but, then again, only a few people are there at the moment. He’s already doing live TV crosses. Down at the Labor function at the West Adelaide footy club, a couple of Labor people are putting up campaign signs to decorate the room – but they’re hugely outnumbered by reporters.

6.25PM: We’re in that period of purgatory – the polls have closed but results are yet to roll in. Journalists outnumber the faithful at Labor and Liberal HQs, while the SA Best gathering in the city has attracted about 20 people, including Senator Stirling Griff. The TV panels are marking time.

5.25PM: Polls close in 35 minutes. Just a reminder that about 200,000 pre-poll and postal votes have been lodged, which won’t be counted tonight. That means the results in many seats are likely to still be in doubt after counting finishes tonight. Labor expects pre-poll votes to go against the party.

3.30PM: This blog will get rolling in earnest from about 7pm – refresh the page regularly for updates.

I’ll be at the Labor HQ, Bension Siebert will be reporting from the Liberal base, while Steph Richards will keep an eye on SA Best’s get-together in the city.

Tom Richardson will be part of the Channel 7 coverage, and we’ll bring you his thoughts throughout the night.

3.25PM: Polling stations close in a few hours and the mood, it seems, has been rather flat.

What that means, like every other portent in this strange campaign, is anyone’s guess.

Some Labor hopefuls are taking it as a good sign, reports InDaily senior journalist Tom Richardson.

Consistent theme from Labor people I’m speaking to today: strange mood at polling booths, hard to pick the vibe. There isn’t the anger they’d expect if people are looking to unseat the Govt. Ambivalence probably consistent theme through the whole campaign. #savotes

— Tom Richardson (@TomRichardson) March 17, 2018