The number of Indigenous Australian Higher Degree by Research (HOR) enrolments has increased over the last decade; however, the completion rates of Indigenous HDRs have remained relatively low. A range of factors continue to affect the retention and completion of Indigenous Australian HOR students, including access to high quality research supervision (Behrendt, Larkin, Griew, & Kelly, 2012; Schofield, O'Brien, & Gilroy, 2013; Trudgett, 2014, 2015). Quality supervision is key to Indigenous HOR students' success; however, there is still little research exploring Indigenous students' expectations and actual experiences of supervision and supervisory practices. Studies by Laycock, Walker, Harrison, and Brands, (2009), Schofield et al. (2013), and Trudgett (2011, 2014, 2015) acknowledge contributing factors to 'quality' supervision of Indigenous HOR students as supervisors' mentoring expertise, availability and respect for students, and readiness to provide students with culturally specific support, as well as compatibility within the supervisory team. While this research shares some significant parallels with these studies, it adds two additional factors that play a significant role in enabling the development of good supervision practice: supervisors' disciplinary knowledge and students' ability to take ownership of their research. This study reveals disparities between HOR students' expectations (wants) and their actual needs and how these are fulfilled by their supervisory team. We found there was a disconnection between the students' understanding of the supervisory process as opposed to the institutional requirements of supervision. Further capacity building of supervisors of Indigenous HOR students and Indigenous HOR candidates is recommended.