Newcastle Completes Private Placement With Trelawney Mining and Exploration

Newcastle Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:NCM) is pleased to announce that it has
closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement of 10,000,000
units at a price of $0.05 per unit with Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc.


Newcastle's President, Michael Romanik, said, "We welcome Trelawney Mining and
Exploration Inc. as a strategic Newcastle shareholder. We expect to develop a
productive, long-term relationship with Trelawney, including the sharing of
insights with respect to Newcastle's Swayze Belt claims to help us realize the
full potential of our projects."


Each unit consists of one common share and one-half of one warrant. Each full
warrant, in turn, entitles the holder to purchase an additional common share at
a price of $0.10 until March 5, 2013. The units are subject to a hold period
expiring July 6, 2012.


Newcastle's 100% owned Swayze belt claims cover an area of 17,000 acres in three
separate claim blocks that are either surrounded by or adjoin Trelawney Mining
and Exploration. A spring exploration program is currently being planned that
will include geophysical surveys and diamond drilling to follow up on
encouraging results from earlier prospecting and sampling that was completed
this past November.


About Newcastle Minerals Ltd.

Newcastle Minerals Ltd. is a Canadian gold exploration company trading on the
TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE:NCM). The company is advancing its three key
properties: the 11,100-hectare Pickle Lake Property in northwestern Ontario, its
6,898-hectare property located in the Swayze greenstone belt of Ontario near
Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc.'s Cote Lake deposit, and its 120-hectare
Carscallen Property in the West Timmins area of Ontario.


About Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc.

Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. is a Canadian junior mining and
exploration company with a focus on Archean gold deposits. Trelawney's current
focus is directed towards the continued exploration and development of the Cote
Lake Deposit, located in Chester Township, 20 kilometres southwest of Gogama,
Ontario. The deposit currently hosts an NI 43-101 indicated resource of 35
million tonnes averaging 0.82 g/t for contained gold of 0.93 million ounces and
inferred resource of 204 million tonnes averaging 0.91 g/t for 5.94 million
ounces of contained gold.


ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Michael Romanik, President