Gallery | Hee-hawing day out for families

Throughout the day, families paid $20 per car to wander through the fields of scattered donkeys, feeding them hay and carrots, and of course stopping to pet every one they could.

The shelter is just short of 30 years old, with owner and founder May Dodd taking in her first donkey, Molly, in Diamond Creek.

After rescuing more donkeys, she realised they needed a proper home and relocated her sanctuary to Tongala, where the donkeys now roam freely across 123 hectares of beautiful countryside.

The shelter relies entirely on funds raised from events like the open day, along with the generous ongoing support from dedicated sponsors.

One devoted sponsor, Billie Kostov, travelled all the way from Geelong with Alan Karby, making the special journey to visit her beloved donkeys at the shelter.

When she lived in Benalla, she spotted an article about the shelter in her local newspaper and decided to visit and see what it was all about.

After seeing the shelter, and what it does for donkeys in rehabilitation and rescue, she decided to throw her money behind the cause.

“They are beautiful animals,” Billie said.

“May does a great job up here, there’s nothing better I’d rather spend my money.”

Journalist Jemma Jones got to head down to the shelter on Sunday to capture all the action.