It derives its name from Captain William Bellamy Risdon, second officer of the ship Duke of Clarence,[2] which visited the area as part of Sir John Hayes' expedition in 1793.

Historical landmarks in Risdon include Cleburne Homestead, a house next to the Bowen Bridge built in the 1820s, Saracen's Head Inn, a charming sandstone hotel built in c. 1828, Risdon Brook Bridge, a sandstone-arched bridge over the Risdon Brook built in 1858, and finally St. Margaret's Church, an abandoned wooden church that opened in 1867.

In 1956, as part of the refinery complex, EZ started a sulphate of ammonia plant.

[6] Currently the zinc works and former workers housing area[7] are found in Lutana.

[8] Eucalyptus risdonii is native to this location and was the emblem of Geilston Bay High School.