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The Roses shot out to a 4-1 lead after three minutes and were ahead 14-11 at the first break.
High stakes: Kim Ravallion receives possession for the Diamonds.
Photo: AAPAustralian coach Lisa Alexander made a tactical change at quarter-time, bringing on Liz Watson at centre for Kim Ravaillion.
The change paid dividends for the Diamonds, who were able to find more space, particularly out wide.
Diamonds goal shooter Caitlin Bassett scored four unanswered goals midway through the second period to take Australia from 17-15 down into a 19-17 lead, then goal attack Stephanie Wood scored to make it 20-17.
England staged a late surge, scoring three in row to lock the game at 24-24 with 90 seconds left in the second quarter.
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But Australia won the ball after goal shooter Kaden Corbin, who came on for Natalie Haythornthwaite at the first change, missed a shot and Brown was able to score under pressure as the whistle blew to give the Diamonds a two-goal buffer at 26-24 at the main break.
The Diamonds made some crucial turnovers in the third quarter and shot out to a seven-goal lead six-and-a-half minutes into the third period.
They maintained control and were ahead 41-34 at three-quarter time after edging their way ahead with several two-goal hauls in that period.
But the game went down to the wire with England scoring seven consecutive goals in the middle section of the final quarter to bridge the gap to two goals, down 44-42 with seven minutes remaining.
But Bassett’s three-goal haul with four minutes to go gave the Aussies some breathing space and they were not headed from there.
The Newcastle crowd erupted as the final whistle blew.
Stretched: Caitlin Bassett reaches for the ball at Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
Photo: Marina NeilThe match was played 11 days after a pre-season basketball clash between Andrew Bogut’s Sydney Kings and the Illawarra Hawks was embarrassingly abandoned at the 11th hour when it was ruled to be too slippery and dangerous for play, leaving thousands of spectators in attendance fuming.
But there were no signs of any on-court issues on Wednesday night.
Australia beat South Africa 61-44 in the opening match of the four nations series in Auckland on Saturday while the Roses downed New Zealand 52-39.
The Silver Ferns defeated South Africa 61-37 on Tuesday night in New Zealand.
The Diamonds back up against the Kiwis in Melbourne on Sunday after England play South Africa.