Welcome to the second issue of Lost and Found Volume II, an email publication offering an inside view of Melbourne's creative people and places, and the first word on events to set the city buzzing from June to September. To celebrate the launch of Lost and Found Volume II, all current and new subscribers have the chance to win a Melbourne escape for two valued at $2,850. Sound good? Then CLICK HERE.

Now you can also visit Melbourne's newest creative hub, The Red Thread. It's a forum where you'll find inside news and views about the city, uploaded by creative visitors and locals. Drop by and immerse yourself in someone's story, visit the Lost and Found thread or upload your own entry - The Red Thread is an ever-expanding creative canvas for text, images and video inspired by Melbourne experiences.

Matt McConnell is Melbourne's chef-of-the-moment. Though already famed nationally for his culinary wizardry, he has recently earned a cult Melbourne following as executive chef and co-owner of the city's newly beloved Bar Lourinhã . Apart from serving up incredible share plates to acolytes of his Iberian menu, (that's food inspired by Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean), Matt enjoys dining out in the city as often as he can. He won't say no to a martini or two and some good record shopping either.

Sparing us the costs of an actual trip to a Guggenheim Museum, the latest exhibition at NGV International as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2007 draws on the collections of Bilbao, Venice, New York and Berlin. Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now embarks with post-war abstraction before traversing an impressive who's who of contemporary art from the past seven decades - including Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Matthew Barney and a slew of other big guns seldom seen in Australia. And, at $20 a pop, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than that round-the-world ticket you've been saving for.

For an inside perspective, join Travel + Leisure and Tourism Victoria at a private viewing of this exhibition on Thursday July 5. There will be drinks, canapés and an NGV keynote speaker. But book early to snap up the limited places.

Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now, Saturday June 30 - Sunday October 7. NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, tel: (03) 8620 2222. Exhibition admission fees apply: Adult $20/Concession $16/Family $50/NGV Family $40.

Gertrude Street may have some of the city's best galleries, bars and restaurants but it has also become something of a mecca for flagship fashion stores, where Melbourne designers showcase their collections in full. Newest kid on the block, The Signet Bureau, is home to labels Ess.Hoshika Laboratory and Munk, as well as the delicious, ornate shoes of Preston Zly. Next door, Vixen plies us all with hand-printed silk scarves, dresses and homewares, while just a hop, skip and a jump down the road, Obüs turns out precision tailoring and snuggly knits. If Gertrude were a lady she'd be well fed, well watered, and staggeringly well dressed.

Obüs, 226 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, tel: (03) 9416 0012
Vixen, 163 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, tel: (03) 9419 2511
The Signet Bureau, 165 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, tel: (03) 9415 7470

Why are animated people automatically so much more lovable than humans? From June, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) offers two unsurpassed chances to find out. ACMI's latest exhibition - Pixar: 20 Years of Animation - lets you examine the sketches, storyboards, and even newly-designed interactive experiences from the most beloved films of recent cinema. (Admit it. You cried during Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Monsters Inc.) Straight from New York's Museum of Modern Art, this exhibition is part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2007. Exclusive to ACMI, it's your only opportunity in Australia to step behind Pixar's digital curtain. The 6th Melbourne International Animation Festival showcases more than 350 films, including painstakingly hand-painted shorts, dazzling computer-generated worlds, and a Roger Ramjet retrospective that's not to be missed.

Pixar: 20 Years of Animation, Thursday June 28 - Sunday October 14, ACMI Screen Gallery, Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 8663 2200 

Melbourne International Animation Festival, Tuesday June 19 - Sunday June 24. ACMI Cinemas, Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne, cinema bookings tel: (03) 8663 2583

Feel your conceptual acumen sharpened by the third Melbourne Design Festival presented by the National Design Centre. Themed 'When It Rains, It Pours', this event will encompass not only a hopeful nod to the skies, but also a celebration of today's most ubiquitous yet strangely invisible art discipline. Incorporating fashion, multimedia, architecture, jewellery, furniture and landscaping practices, the festival's program of exhibitions, forums and workshops promises to have both capital-D practitioners and the rest of us enthralled. More than forty, mainly-free events include iMade, an exhibition in specially built pavilions on the Fed Square car park rooftop; the PopUps series by local design luminaries, and the 3rd Australian Poster Annual, a public competition judged by an international panel of distinguished designers.

Melbourne Design Festival, Thursday July 5 - Sunday July 15, Federation Square and venues across Melbourne.
National Design Centre, Federation Square, Flinders Street, tel: (03) 9654 6335

With its petit boutiques, box-sized galleries and cafes-so-small-they-could-be cupboards, Melbourne's magic lies in the smallest places. Bar Lourinhã is no exception. Inspired by the share-plate dining of Spain and Portugal, this pocket-sized restaurant serves up smatterings of tapas auténtico with a modern twist. Guided by the well-versed pallet of chef Matt McConnell (formerly of Bernardo's at Noosa and Diningroom 211), dishes like Green Egg Tortilla, and the party-starting Flaming Chorizo are best served shared. Like at any fine dining place you'd want to call home, wine is also a priority. Catch one of the staff as they weave from bar to table, train your goblet-sized glass on a full-bodied Tempranillo and soak up Lourinhã's Iberian charm.

Bar Lourinhã, 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9663 7890

It has been called 'the apex of cool' (Fairfax) and 'one of the world's best kept secrets' (*Wallpaper), but Rooftop Bar maintains a humble ego six floors above the city banter. Site of the Rooftop Cinema from September to April, this hovering hideaway has toasty heaters, thick granitas and mulled wines enough to create an urban oasis all year round. An area of plush 'smart grass', coupled with candy-striped chairs lining the bar and the deck ward away winter blues, while live bands every Friday heat up the playlist. Let the steady-handed bar staff (courtesy of Cookie on level one) pour your Stella or Bitburger. They'll also look after your stomach with 'garlic chive dumplings' and the ubiquitous 'Rooftop burger', which has been known to send some people over the edge. Not literally of course but, um, just in case make sure you're sitting down when you take that first bite...

On yer bike. Though hackneyed as a dismissive statement, this is actually very good advice. Especially in Melbourne, where hills are a rarity and laneways outnumber highways by ten to one. Starting in the city, you can rent some wheels from Hire-a-Bike, Federation Wharf (in one of the vaults near the river at Fed Square). While you're there, grab an energising espresso from Riverland Bar and Café, and stretch those calf muscles good. For lone riders, Bicycle Victoria is the place to find bike paths. If you prefer to pedal with a posse, join a group and pretend it's the Tour De France, (but hopefully with less lycra).

Hire-a-Bike, Federation Wharf, riverside vaults, Federation Square, tel: 1300 887 908.

Matt's Visual Diary
Click below to discover Matt's Melbourne journey...