They got there with strikes in the 71st and 75th minutes from Jonas Gutierrez and Andy Carroll - his 15th of the season.
Both stemmed from errors in defence from a tiring side under relentless pressure in the final half-hour from Gutierrez and Wayne Routledge but this was never an easy point for Chris Hughton's side.
They were surprised in the first half by the virility of a Bristol City team with only two wins in their last dozen matches but at the end it took a string of fine saves by Dean Gerken to save City going down to another late defeat.
It had been a traumatic week for City with two defeats bringing to an end Gary Johnson's four-and-a-half year stint as manager. They had a lot to prove and were determined to use Newcastle as their proving ground.
They were snapping at the Magpies from the off and when Routledge gave away a free-kick in clearing a corner, they struck with a new routine.
Nicky Maynard's kick sparked a rush on Newcastle's back line and Lewin Nyatanga hurried the ball across the line for his first ever goal for City.
City so nearly increased their lead from another free-kick with Fitz Hall clearing Louis Carey's header off the line at the far post.
The Championship leaders started to assert some authority with Gutierrez making space down the left while Routledge, although picking up a yellow card, was running hard at defenders on the other side of the pitch.
As Newcastle found a rhythm, Carroll saw a header turned over for a corner while a shot from Kevin Nolan was always rising over the bar.
For a time it looked as though the set-piece would be the decisive factor but then Maynard scored a solo goal with a run down the left which saw City double their lead.
He had chased a long cross-field ball from Bradley Orr and his shot bounced past Steve Harper off the keeper's back post.