It sits on the western edge of the Canberra suburbs, and overlooks no longer bare land towards Mount Stromlo to the west and Molonglo Valley to the north.

[6] It was named after Sir Frederick William Holder (1850–1909), Premier of South Australia between 1899 and 1901, and first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives from 1901 to 1909.

A section of roadway between Burrinjuck Crescent and Warragamba Avenue, formerly a natural watercourse, was closed due to water periodically flowing across the road during heavy rains.

Holder was one of the hardest hit suburbs in the Canberra bushfire of 18 January 2003 when the fire came roaring out of the adjacent Stromlo Forest and across Dixon Drive into suburban housing.

The geologic structure under the suburb of Holder mostly comprises Deakin Volcanics green grey and purple rhyodacite.