[4] The name "Burwood" (later "Invergowrie") was the name of a house built by Sir James Palmer, in Hawthorn West, in 1852.

[5] By 1904, Burwood had a population of 600 and had a post office, two hotels, a savings bank and a number of churches.

Following World War II, development headed east along Burwood Highway[5] to and beyond the neighbourhood of Bennettswood, where a post office has been open since 2 February 1954.

Burwood Boys' Home, originally located at 155 Warrigal Road, was founded in 1895 by Robert Campbell Edwards, who was concerned about the number of children living on the streets of Melbourne.

[8] The Princess Elizabeth Kindergarten for the Deaf, the first facility of its kind in Australia, was opened on a site at 90 Elgar Road in 1950.

[9] The Royal Victorian Institute of the Blind (now Vision Australia) purchased 41 acres (170,000 m2) of land on Burwood Highway in 1951 for a school, which was opened in 1959.

The drive-in was located near the intersection of Burwood Highway and McComas Grove, in a natural amphitheatre setting, provided by the Gardiners Creek Valley.

The first film publicly screened was On the Riviera, starring Danny Kaye and Gene Tierney.

Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 18.1%, Cantonese 4.5%, Greek 3.3%, Sinhalese 2.2% and Vietnamese 1.7%.

Another shopping strip is located at Bennettswood, to the east, on the corner of Burwood Highway and Station Street.

[17] The Eastern Lions Soccer Club compete in the National Premier Leagues of Victoria first division and are located at Gardiners Reserve.

Burwood has two retirement villages; Fountain Court, on Station Street and Cameron Close, on Warrigal Road.