 The suburb's name is a corruption of Brownbill's Hill, which was named after prospector William Brownbill, who early during the Ballarat gold rush claimed and settled the area.The suburb is located on a valley to the south and east of the Brown Hill range and Gong Gong and straddles both sides of the Western Freeway.Today, Brown Hill is almost an entirely residential area with large areas of open and recreational space and several schools.