On the way to Thursday Island

Since the last entry we have been to Townsville and Cairns, two small cities on the northeast coast of Australia.  Both are in the area of the Great Barrier Reef, but you can't actually see the reef.  To do that, you have to take a dive boat and go out to it, which we did not do.  But right now, as we steam north the very "top" of Australia, we see lots of outcrops to seaward--our course is between the reef and the coast-- most of which are very low but some look to rise to maybe 100 feet.  I guess they are the  northern end of the reef.  When we finally get  to Thursday Island in the morning, we'll be very close to New Guinea, maybe 50 miles to the north.
Just outside of   Cairns there is what they call a "skyrail" that goes several kilometers inland over a thick rain forest.  It's kind of like a ski lift or finicular, has gonolas that hold six passengers and skim along the top of  the rain forest canopy. Quite a few cockateels were visible in the trees  but the most spectacular thing we saw was a really big waterfall.  Wasn't quite as big as Niagara, but it was close.
Another inteeresting thing about Cairns.  We were walking in the town  when suddenly a number of large birds began flying around, and when we looked at them we saw that they were actually bats, very large and menacing looking.  Asked a local  about them and were told that they are flying foxes.  Heard of them before but had never seen any up close and personal, so to speak.