Welcome to the third 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.

Clare Bowditch is a Melbourne girl, mother of three, singer, guitarist and committed red head. With her partner Marty Brown and their band the Feeding Set, Clare released the ARIA award-winning What Was Left in 2005. After welcoming twins earlier this year, Clare and Marty are focusing on a new album. Apart from supervising three mini-percussionists, writing songs and eating Japanese, Clare like the cafes of Northcote, The Goon Show and the black tie fashions of Akira.

For 30 years after its establishment in 1839, the Melbourne Athenaeum Theatre was known as The Mechanics' Institute, which sounds alarmingly like a late '80s industrial band. The Athenaeum Library has been hidden away on the first floor all that time, offering an enormous selection of books for its members – and the perfect escape from the crowds just outside.

The library's current Creative Milestones exhibition is pure wish-fulfilment. It takes you through the Athenaeum's rich history – Al Jolson's original talkie The Jazz Singer in 1929, the first performance of The Messiah in Victoria and Mark Twain's 'Holiday Lecture' in 1895. The Creative Milestones competition offers prizes including a one-year membership to the library. To enter, grab a voting slip and declare which Athenaeum event you'd most like to have attended.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Creative Milestones Exhibition, until Wednesday August 15, Athenaeum Library, Level 1, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9650 3100

Empires can be dangerous things, rife with skulduggery and prone to collapse – let us not forget those Romans. However Leopold's Empire is a glorious exception. The home of Melbourne menswear label Leopold, this empire is based on a solid foundation of luxurious fabrics, meticulous tailoring and edgy prints for the young gentleman about town. Since Leopold launched in 2004, the label has become justifiably famous for its exquisite cashmere and Italian wool knits. The designers are now onto their third season of limited-edition sunglasses in collaboration with Polaroid. This sleek little store in City Square – all dark-stained timber and exposed concrete – also stocks leather boots and belts so beautiful they could make a grown man weep.

Leopold's Empire, 1 City Square, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9662 9095

If you're sitting two-thirds of the way through the latest multi-million dollar blockbuster and thinking all those explosions seem so underwhelming, remember that the 56th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) isn't far away. For 19 days, the city will stop to absorb an influx of local and international cinema – assembled with a fresh eye by new MIFF Executive Director, Richard Moore.

Much of the programming is still top-secret, but already announced are new regional focus programs for African and Israeli cinema; more from the regular 'Accelerator' initiative featuring upcoming Australian and New Zealand filmmakers; a program called 'New Gen' that's especially designed to be suitable for children; and Michael Moore's new scathing documentary Sicko for the opening night bash.

56th Melbourne International Film Festival, Wednesday July 25 – Sunday August 12. Tickets available online or at the festival hub from Saturday 14 July: the Forum Theatre, cnr Flinders and Russell streets, Melbourne. For ticket information tel: (03) 9417 2011

The Melbourne Design Market could be the design world's answer to the Saint Jeromes Laneway Festival. Swapping laneway for carpark and amps for lamps, this one-day Melbourne Design Festival event at Fed Square boasts a 50-strong lineup spanning industrial design, graphic design, jewellery and fashion design. Make sure you check out the local acts including graphic designers Tin & Ed for Zaishu, fashion filmophiles Alpha 60 and 'teatowelologist' Abi Crompton representing Third Drawer Down. Entry is free. You can leave the earplugs at home.

Melbourne Design Market, 10am–5pm, Sunday July 8, Federation Square under cover car park, enter via Riverside Walk or Russell Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9654 6335

Crossley Street has everything you could want in an urban byway: an eye for design, a love of high fashion and a global palate. Two gastronomic greats whetting the street's appetite are Gingerboy and Becco. Teague Ezard fired up Melbourne's love for Southeast Asia when he opened Gingerboy last year. Blue swimmer crab wontons and lemongrass cocktails are trademarks of the achingly cool hawker-style venture, complete with fairy-light studded walls and a black bamboo finish. The only similarity you'll find next door at Becco is in the chilli. Serving Italy's best with a Sicilian twist, chilli dusted calamari plays entrée to spaghettini vongole. For dessert, try an apple custard bombolini or crack out the Campari upstairs at the Bellavista Social Club.

Gingerboy, 27–29 Crossley Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9662 4200
Becco, 11–25 Crossley Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9663 3949

When mining for jewels in Melbourne's network of drink caverns, start in the city's alleyways. This is nightspot territory, and home to two musical treasures; Cherry and Roxanne Parlour. Both venues present live acts in stylish bar rooms (Cherry the downstairs rock den and Roxanne the upstairs pop scene). Franklin Street's Miss Libertine is another top bar / venue crossover that's cool without steely fashion sense. All are perfect for long nights out of the cold.

Cherry, AC/DC Lane, Melbourne,
tel: (03) 9639 8122
Roxanne Parlour, Level 3, 2 Coverlid Place, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9663 1018
Miss Libertine, 34 Franklin Street, Melbourne, tel: (03) 9663 6855

The everyday fashion parade at Melbourne's tram and train stops has been upped a notch or two recently. Why? Because the introduction of Metlink / Connex SMS timetable services means that no-one's doing the last-minute public transport dash anymore. They're checking arrival times on their mobile phones and sauntering to stations and tram stops, Manolos intact.

Connex Melbourne's new SMS Timetable service allows 24-hour access to up-to-date train timetables via text message. Instructions are available online or by texting the word CONNEX to 197 26669. Metlink's tramTRACKER service lets you know when your tram is going to arrive via landline, mobile call or SMS. Visit metlink for details. Then splash out on some spike heels.

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