Bamboo will grow from the snow line to the equator and all points in between. The running temperate species such as the Indocalamus tessallatus with its large leaves designed to trap what little sun that shines, grows as far north as Hokkaido in Northern Japan. imported into Europe, the Fargesias thrive in the cold climates of the United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, Germany & France. The native species of the Chusquea genus are located in the cold montane regions of the Americas.
In the colder regions of China, the clumping species of Fargesia are the staple diet of the giant Pandas in their natural habitat. Progressively moving south the larger temperate species such as Phyllostachys pubescens (Moso) and Ph. bambusoides (Medake) together with most others of the same Genus will be encountered. They will tolerate occasional snowfall although heavy blanketing will cause considerable damage when the tops of the tall culms are not removed.
Climate is the ultimate factor in determining the selection of species able to be grown! Runners will grow in the tropics although they rarely achieve sufficient size to become the spectacular grove achieved in the cooler climates.
The same applies to the big clumpers of the equatorial Gigantochloa & Dendrocalamus genus. These plants are great in the wet tropics fair in the chilled sub tropics and not much good in the temperate zones.
There is nearly always an exception to every generalisation. Often a micro climate tucked away somewhere will grow species radically different from everything else in the region. The best bet in this case, is to observe the other types of plants in that microclimate, then select a bamboo with similar climatic prerequisites.
In Australia remnant wet rain forests are found from the far North Eastern seaboard, to as far south as Tasmania. For those fortunate enough to have land adjoining any of these forests there is a good chance of spectacular results.
For those lucky enough to live in the sub tropics, virtually any species of bamboo will grow with the exception of the really frigid zone species. In colder climatic zones the temperate species should grow comfortably.