The division was named after Robert O'Hara Burke, an explorer who led the Victorian expedition in 1860, the first to cross Australia from south to north.
It was located in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, including Broadmeadows and Thomastown, but later extended into rural areas including Bacchus Marsh, Gisborne and Sunbury.
It was held by the Australian Labor Party for its entire existence.
However, a 1984 redistribution made it far less secure for Labor, and for the next two decades it was usually a marginal Labor seat.
The last member for Burke, Brendan O'Connor, was elected for the new seat of Gorton in 2004.