The town is situated on the Barrier Highway 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Burra, in the Regional Council of Goyder.

The town was named after a nearby peak, Mount Bryan, which was seen in December 1839 by Governor George Gawler and who named it in honour of Henry Bryan, a young man who became lost and perished of thirst during Gawler's expedition.

Once the heart of a thriving farming community, including some of Australia's best known Merino sheep studs, the town today is largely represented by the Mount Bryan Hotel—an old pub.

At the northern end of the Mount Lofty Ranges, the views of and from the surrounding hills are scenic.

A popular route is north east to Sir Hubert Wilkins cottage, the restored home in which the polar explorer was born and grew up.