Hurlstone Park is located nine kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is mostly in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, and partly in the Inner West Council.

After the Postmaster-General's Department refused to open a post office called Fernhill, a 1910 referendum chose the name 'Hurlstone', after the nearby Hurlstone College.

[4] Transit Systems operate the following bus services in Hurlstone Park: 444; 445 (to Balmain East ferry wharf via Dulwich Hill, Petersham Lilyfield, Leichhardt and Rozelle), 428 (to the city via Canterbury, Dulwich Hill, Petersham, Marrickville and Newtown) and L28 routes which run along the Canterbury Road and New Canterbury Road boundary, and the 418 (to Burwood via Ashfield, and to Bondi Junction via Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Sydenham, St Peters, Alexandria, Mascot, Rosebery, Eastlakes, Kingsford, Randwick and Queens Park), and 406 (to Five Dock via Ashfield) routes which pass through the suburb (along Crinan Street with a bus stop directly outside the railway station).

The rest of the commercially used land in Hurlstone Park is made up of various shops, ranging from fast food outlets and milk bars to a couple of petrol stations.

It is generally a low-rise residential area with maintained family homes and larger back-yards, with tree-lined streets, and small parks and playgrounds.