Where are Channels 1-6, and 8 in Australia?

Factual Questions
1

There’s probably a simple answer to this, but it’s one of those things I’ve often pondered since I moved here.

The major Australian TV stations are ABC, SBS, 7, 9, and Ten.

There are a confusing host of local affiliates if you live in the sticks, basically rebroadcasting one particular network with a few “local” shows thrown in to keep the Communications Authority happy.

Anyhoo, the Free-to-Air TV Stations in NZ (when I left, anyway) were conveniently numbered One, 2, 3, and 4.

I would have thought Logic would dictate that ABC would be Channel One in Australia, but it’s not- it’s Channel 28!

A quick hunt round on Google and Wikipedia suggests the simple answer is that Channels 1-6 and 8 were regional stations eventually bought out by 7, 9, and Ten… but I’m surprised the big stations never renamed themselves once it the station numbers became rather meaningless.

Any of the Aussies out there feel like helping me out or speculating a little on this?

2

A tech manager at Channel 9 here in Perth explained to me in very lay terms that each station got its own band of frequency. There was a buffer between 7 and 9: 10 came later and kind of overlaps into 11. No idea why was 7 and 9, though, and not 3 and 4.