Jon Stead bagged his second goal in as many games to earn Blackburn a point. Stead netted five minutes from time with a left-foot shot from close-range after Paul Gallagher's cross.
Craig Bellamy's had put Newcastle in front by sweeping home his first Premiership goal since March after good work from Alan Shearer.
Blackburn had the better of the chances before the break but Markus Babbel headed wide and Stead and Andy Cole both missed when well-placed.
Newcastle - who gave striker Bellamy a first start after his knee problems - were the better side in a frantic opening spell.
Bellamy nearly got on the scoresheet with just three minutes on the clock, but having sprinted clear he shot straight at Brad Friedel.
 | KEY MOMENTS 22 mins: Babbel heads wide 52 mins: Bellamy volleys in 55 mins: Bellamy wastes chance to double lead 85 mins: Stead levels |
Blackburn slowly improved, with Stead - looking lively on his first home start - forcing Shay Given into a neat save from 25 yards.
Once they had found their bearings, the hosts dominated proceedings.
Cole brought a brilliant save from Given from close-range before Babbel headed powerfully wide from a left-wing cross when he should have hit the target.
Shearer shot at Friedel at the other end on a rare Newcastle foray, before Stead smashed a shot over and Brett Emerton chipped casually wide after cutting in from the right.
Sir Bobby Robson had even more reason to be concerned just before the break when Lucas Neill robustly tackled Bellamy and the Welshman limped off the pitch.
But - to some surprise - Bellamy reappeared after the break, and it took him just seven minutes to exact his revenge.
Shearer challenged Friedel for a long throw-in that the keeper should have gathered, but the ball fell out to the edge of the six-yard box and Bellamy swivelled to sweep the ball home.
The 24-year-old nearly doubled Newcastle's advantage when he raced onto Shearer's flick and cut inside Babbel, only to see his attempted lob sail wide of the post.
Blackburn had been rocked by the goal, but they soon got back into the game and Babbel again headed wide from a corner as the visitors' marking went missing.
Stead then blazed wide from 25 yards before Bellamy and Laurent Robert failed to test Friedel from promising positions.
As the clock ticked down Blackburn threw everything forward, and Stead popped up again to bag his second in two games from close-range after Gallagher's centre.
Shearer nearly won it in stoppage time but his shot through a crowd of players was saved by Friedel.
Blackburn: Friedel, Douglas (Gallagher 69), Babbel, Neill, Todd, Emerton, Tugay, Flitcroft, Gray, Stead, Cole (Johansson 90).
Subs Not Used: Yorke, Andresen, Enckelman.
Newcastle: Given, Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien, Bernard, Dyer, Speed, Jenas, Robert, Shearer, Bellamy.
Subs Not Used: Elliott, Ambrose, Ameobi, Viana, Harper.
Attendance: 23,459.
Referee: M Messias (N Yorkshire).
MMIX
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We have no balance in midfield and are struggling to get in behind teams and finish them off when we should
