[1] The suburb is believed to be named after Truganini, who is generally accepted as the last full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian woman, as she had visited the area for a short time.

The southern portion within the City of Wyndham, referred to by locals as "old" Truganina,[4] is bordered roughly by Skeleton Creek to the west and the Federation Trail to the south.

The northern portion within the City of Melton encompasses the Mount Atkinson estate and surrounding rural areas.

[11] Truganina (and neighbouring Tarneit) is largely characterised by low density development and is growing rapidly in advance of transport infrastructure and services, meaning that the vast majority of new residents are currently dependent on automobiles.

As part of the Regional Rail Link project, bridges were built over the railway line at two locations in Truganina; Dohertys and Boundary Road's.

Off-road cycling is facilitated by the Federation Trail at the southern border of the suburb, however few of the main roads provide provision for bicycles.

Many distribution centres are setting up in the Truganina area due to the easy access to rail, roads and air freight services.

[15] Another mega distribution centre in the Truganina industrial area was built for Coles Supermarkets in 2012 which is approximately 70,000 square metres.