People in parts of tropical Far North Queensland woke to early-morning frost as the region experienced its coldest August night in more than 60 years.

Cairns dropped to 7.9 degrees Celsius at the city's racecourse, a little more than half the average lowest temperature of 15 degrees.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Sam Campbell said it was the coldest night in the city since 1953.

Leaves covered in frost at Koah on the Atherton Tablelands. ( Supplied: Marc Jaschok )

"Some of those temperatures really are quite exceptional," Mr Campbell said.

"Quite a few parts of north Queensland saw temperatures at nine to 10 degrees below the average, so it really is a stand out morning in terms of the cold temperatures."

Mr Campbell said the cold and dry air covered an area down to the central coast.

"We're probably going to see a bit of moisture coming back onto the coast generally now," he said.

"That's associated with a southerly change that's currently moving up the coast."

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The cold front also hit the Atherton Tablelands, where temperatures are typically 10 degrees lower than Cairns at this time of year.

Monica Moore manages a caravan park at Mount Garnet, about 150 kilometres west of Cairns and said the temperatures dropped to minus 2 degrees in the town.

"It was expected to be cold but not expected to be that cold," Ms Moore said.

"[The tourists] are actually very surprised at how cold we do get because we're supposed to be tropics as far as they think.

"We actually have the brumbies in the park at the moment because it's too cold and dry out in the bush."

Ms Moore said the area had endured erratic weather throughout winter.

"We've had very warm days and then very cold mornings, it's all over the shop," she said.

"We've got the altitude so we've got the temperature."