It is classified as a ghost town that contains a number of preserved historic buildings, including Jones's Store and the Junction Hotel.

[9] 771 kilometres (479 mi) north of Alice Springs,[10] Newcastle Waters is located within the federal division of Lingiari, the territory electoral division of Barkly and the local government area of the Barkly Region,[6][5][8] inside Newcastle Waters Station, a large cattle station with over 40,000 head of cattle.

[citation needed] The nearest petrol station and accommodation is found 23 kilometres (14 mi) south at the town Elliott.

[11] The township was economically dependent on droving and the arrival of road trains meant that by the early 1960s it had been reduced to a virtual ghost town.

[14] The Newcastle Waters School draws most of its few students from the Marlinja homeland community which lies on the northern boundary of the town.