New Camera- What to buy???

So I've recently got back from PNG, and for some reason, my camera, which I've had for about 4-5 years, just isn't cutting it anymore... comparing these photos from the ones I took in New Zealand, I've realised that my good ole kodak funshare 6MP point and shoot just isn't cutting it anymore!!! The difference in quality of these two trips should be attributed partly to the different light and climate between the two countries. PNG is hot, humid, bright and tropical; whereas NZ was cool, misty and often quite dark, similar to the UK. But honestly, it's the camera that was driving me bananas- having been an avid photographer since I was in year 6 when my dad let me have a whole roll of film to use on our road-trip from Katherine NT through Ayers Rock and the Olgas back to Hunter Valley NSW.  

This was an automatic, film camera which I can't even remember the brand of, which they lent to me again 6 years later when I went to Europe. I think because it was film, this enabled the picture quality to be quite good, but it didn't compare to the Film SLR camera which I used extensively in year 11 and 12 for my art majorwork.  I loved this camera because of the two inter-changeable lenses and the massive flash you had to attach, I got some amazing photos, from yet another trip back to PNG and around the Hunter Valley.  The only thing I found with this was that it was so heavy that I couldn't use it for extended periods of time, but the quality (in spite of the fact I was developing the photos) was really good, and it enabled me to do so much more with my photos.....  

Anyway, after heaps of internet research, I stumbled upon Elsie's review of her favourite cameras, which lead me to Amazon, and this fantastic explanation of the pros and cons of DSLRs and in particular the Canon EOS 50D 15.1 Digital SLR.... which has pretty much convinced me that this is what I want and *ahem* need......