you can do some astrophotog there, shoot in raw if possible so you can do some photoshoping. Even without a dslr, you still need a camera with 'manual program' or on the dial "M" to do the creative stuff.
Cambridge in Colour - Photography Tutorials & Learning Community is a good site to do some learning and such
If you don't need the super zoom and don't want a DSLR, I would recommend this
Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : PowerShot S100
or G12
If you want the ability to change lenses
M3/4 by loympus and panasonic and the regular dslr (Nikon/Canon)
pretty much any will satisfy your needs
and if you do get a bridge camera or any other camera, get a tripod !