"Newcastle" was laid down by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria on 21 July 1989, launched on 21 February 1992 and commissioned into the RAN on 11 December 1993. Unlike the first four "Adelaide"-class frigates, "Newcastle" was not constructed in the United States of America, so was never assigned a US Navy hull number. "Newcastle" is the only "Adelaide"-class ship not named after a state capital city. Instead, she is named after Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest regional city in the country. She is the first ship of the RAN to be named "Newcastle".