VH-XXX.
I think it's a good idea to start in tailwheel, aside from the fact that it may take a little longer to learn
I don't know about that. Average time to first solo at aero clubs when I learned to fly on Tiger Moths was between 8 to 10 hours. In the RAAF, if you were not solo by 12 hours you were scrubbed - often quite unfairly I might might add.
Have a look at the average time to first solo now and I think you will find it is about 15-20 hours with the occasional student getting away at 8 hours and others as much as 30 hours. That said, much depends on the skill and experience of your instructor.
Chances are the instructor training you on a tail-wheel is more experienced than those instructors with bare instructor ratings and low total hours. The trend towards more hours to first solo has gradually changed over the intervening years and reflects not the perceived compexity of the Cessna 150/172/Warrior trainers, but more a combination of ATC influence in city areas, inexperienced instructors and last but not least the distance to the training area. In Melbourne this means transit times to Bacchus Marsh and Point Cook both of which can add significantly to the cost and additional dual log book hours.