Burnside is 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) east of the Adelaide city centre by road.

The farm had a large number of animals including pigs, poultry and cattle as well as barley and wheat crops.

Burnside Post Office opened on 21 July 1863,[4] and by the 1870s the area had developed into a small village.

Langman Reserve is part of both Burnside and Waterfall Gully and the large Newland Park has several ovals.

A number of churches of various denominations, including Baptist, Lutheran, and Anglican, also call the suburb home.