Prior to urban settlement in the 1970s, Heathridge was a remote and undeveloped area. It represented the central and eastern portions of Lot M1513 and the northeastern corner of Lot M1506 on Swan Location 1370. The name Heathridge, chosen for the ground-cover vegetation growing on the sand ridges in the area, was first proposed by the developer, Kaiser Aetna, and was accepted by the government's Nomenclature Advisory Committee on 8 November 1974. It was officially gazetted in October 1975. The suburb started to develop in 1976, with the first land sales in the area bounded by Caridean Street to the north, Admiral Grove to the east, Ocean Reef Road to the south, and Marmion Ave via Mermaid Way and Poseidon Road to the west. The Metropolitan Region Planning Authority rezoned the north and east of the suburb in 1978 for urban development, and land progressively became available throughout the suburb in the 1980s, particularly in the Heathridge Heights area bounded by Hodges Drive to the North, Caridean Street and Poseidon Road to the East, Mermaid Way to the South, and Marmion Avenue to the West. Sales for this estate were handled from the now long departed Ocean Reef Sales Office, that resided on the site now occupied by private residences and a petrol station at Marina Boulevard and Marmion Avenue in Ocean Reef. More recently, a number of previously unoccupied areas in the suburb's northern and western areas were developed in the late 1990s.
Geography
Heathridge is bounded by Hodges Drive to the north, the Mitchell Freeway to the East, Ocean Reef Road to the south, and Marmion Avenue to the West.
Demographics
In the, Heathridge had a population of 6,661; 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The median age of Heathridge residents was 34, and median weekly personal income was $742. 1% of the population identified themselves as Indigenous persons. The most popular religious affiliations in descending order in the 2016 census were No Religion 39.4%, Catholic 19.5%, Anglican 15.1%, Not Stated 8.3% and Christian, nfd 3.4%. Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall .
Facilities
At the southernmost end of the suburb is the Sail Terrace Community Centre, operated by the City of Joondalup. This includes indoor basketball courts, grassed level oval, tennis courts, education rooms, and child minding facilities. Additionally, the site is home to the Ocean Ridge Cricket Club and Ocean Ridge Amateur Football Club. This oval, along with Prince Regent Park, Admiral Park and all schools within the suburb have large grass outdoor ovals designed for used by community groups and sporting activities including cricket, Australian rules football, and Association Football. Other facilities within the suburb include a local shopping centre on Caridean Street near Admiral Grove, as well as three dedicated houses of worship, belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Salvation Army, and a Pentecostal Anglican group. Other religious groups meet in various locations around the suburb. There is also the Granny Spiers Community Centre on Poseidon Road, run by a not-for-profit group undertaking various community and disabled outreach and assistance programs.
Education
Heathridge is currently served by three primary schools offering K–7 education. The first of these is Heathridge Primary School, constructed towards the end of the 1970s and opened in 1980. In 1986, a further two primary schools opened in the suburb, including Eddystone Primary School with a primary student catchment area of the Eastern side of Heathridge as well as students from the surrounding suburbs of Beldon, Craigie, and Edgewater. Poseidon Primary School opened that same year with a catchment area of Heathridge's west side including surrounding areas of Connolly, Ocean Reef, and Beldon. With the opening of the two schools, Heathridge Primary School became responsible for the central area of the suburb, bounded by Admiral Grove in the East and Poseidon Road in the West. The suburb is also served by two high schools offering Years 8–12, although both of these high schools reside outside the suburb. Ocean Reef Senior High School was responsible for Year 8–12 education for the suburb from its inception until 1990, when Belridge Senior High School opened for Year 8 students. Belridge was primarily opened to reduce overall demand at Ocean Reef due to high demand for its advanced programs and its inability to take students from within its primary catchment area. From its opening in 1990 until 1995, Belridge progressively expanded its age range until becoming a full secondary school in 1995 when the first class of graduating Year Twelve students commenced their studies.
Transport
The suburb is well served by a number of transport options including rail and bus links.
Railway links
Joondalup
Edgewater
The nearest train station is Edgewater Train Station. "The Joondalup train line is the second busiest heavy rail route in the metropolitan area, with the Mandurah Line experiencing the highest patronage", Transport Minister Dean Nalder said. A new $29.5 million multi-storey car park at Edgewater Station is on track for completion by the end of 2016. Construction of the 1,450 bay car park started earlier this year and the project, which will deliver 560 new bays at Edgewater Station, is about 70 per cent complete.
Bus routes
460 Whitfords – Joondalup
461 Whitfords – Joondalup
462 Whitfords – Joondalup
463 Whitfords – Joondalup
464 Whitfords – Joondalup
Politics
The suburb first participated in the 1980 state election. Independent candidate: Nurses for Health
