It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, on the south shore of the Parramatta River.

It included the suburbs of Drummoyne, Five Dock, Croydon, Croydon Park, Burwood, Enfield, Homebush, Strathfield, Concord, Rhodes, Canada Bay, Cabarita, Abbotsford and Mortlake.

The division was named after the Rt Hon Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, a former Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom.

It was first held by Sir William McMahon, who retained the seat for over 32 years, until 1982.

Following the 2009 redistribution of NSW, the seat of Lowe was abolished for the 2010 Australian federal election.