It was provided for the convenience of members of the Riversdale Golf Club, which was originally adjacent to the site.

It has been said that influential club members did not appreciate having to walk to either Riversdale or Hartwell, and pressed for a closer alternative.

After the Deepdene Dasher ceased operation in 1927, the station was served by Ashburton line trains.

Twelve years later, on 28 June 1948, the line was extended from Ashburton to Alamein,[8] the service which still exists today.

[9] During the 2018/2019 financial year, Willison was the sixth-least-used station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with 102,600 passenger movements.